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Christmas Nightmare: Flight From Miami To Los Angeles Takes 20 Hours After Mechanical Issues

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An American Airlines flight took off from Miami International Airport at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning expecting to land in Los Angeles by noon local time.

However, after mechanical issues caused the plane to make two separate non-scheduled landings in Lubbock, Texas and Dallas, Texas, the passengers onboard arrived at LAX at 2:00 a.m, about 15 hours after the scheduled arrival time.

186 travelers endured the 20-hour trip, which is being blamed on a mechincal issue having to do with the plane's engine.

After making an emergency landing in Lubbock, the plane also had to fly to  American Airlines' headquarters in Dallas in order to refuel the plane for it's journey to Los Angeles.

Luggage was loaded and re-loaded before the second takeoff was made.

American Airlines has not released a statement specifying what exactly went wrong with the plane.

The FAA did tell ABC News that the plane landed after declaring "an emergency for engine oil warning light."

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