Toronto: A US flight from Chicago to the

German city of Frankfurt, with 255 people on board, reportedly

made an emergency landing in Canada because the pilot spilled

his coffee in the cockpit.

The United Airlines Flight 940 was diverted to Toronto

just after 10 PM on Monday night, after the plane developed a

communications problem, according to an airline spokesman.

But, Transport Canada, the agency that regulates

transportation in Canada, has claimed that the malfunction was

due to the Boeing 777`s pilot dumping his cup of coffee on the

plane`s communication equipment, the `Daily Mail` online said.

The spilled liquid caused the plane`s radio to send

out transponder code (or `squawk`) 7500, denoting highjacking;

The crew were able to stop the faulty squawk, but decided to

land anyway, the report said.

The 241 passengers and 14 crew members were put in a

different aeroplane once on the ground in Toronto, flown back

to Chicago, put up in a hotel and then flown to Frankfurt on

Tuesday afternoon, it said.

When asked about coffee triggering the diversion and

mass delay, United Airlines avoided the subject.

"Our review of the communications issue encountered

on flight 940 continues, so it`s too soon to comment on any

particulars that led to the captain`s decision to divert,"

United spokesman Rahsaan Johnson was quoted as saying.

"But important to note the crew did maintain contact

with controllers, and the decision to divert to Toronto was

the captain`s," he added.

The name of the coffee-spilling pilot has not been

released.

PTI