The plane had to turn around when a drunken passenger "bit into" the flight attendant's hand during the flight

An All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Seattle was forced to turn around over the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday night after an intoxicated passenger bit a flight attendant's hand. The approximately nine-hour flight was only in the air for an hour, according to FlightAware reports.

A 55-year-old American flying on Flight NH118 was "heavily intoxicated" when he "bit into" a female crew member, the Japanese airline told The Japan Times, as reported by USA Today. The unidentified passenger was detained by the flight crew, as per Kyodo News reports.

Upon arrival at Haneda Airport, the passenger was handed over to local police, an ANA spokesperson told USA TODAY via email. No passengers were injured in the incident.

The passenger denied the accusations to investigators, claiming that he did not remember the attack due to the effects of sleeping pills, as reported by Kyodo News. Tokyo police did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

"The safety of our passengers and employees is ANA's top priority, and we will take all necessary measures to ensure it," said an ANA spokesman.

The flight departed the next day, almost 19 hours after the scheduled time. Earlier this month, another intoxicated passenger forced a diverted American Airlines flight when he punched a flight attendant several times; he also claimed he did not remember the Hawaii-based incident.