Shortly after departing from Andrews Air Force Base, the Royal Australian Air Force Airbus A330-200, carrying the prime minister, was supposed to head directly to Hawaii. Instead, the aircraft made an unscheduled stop in St. Louis, Missouri, having been airborne for under an hour.

This unexpected landing was a safety measure after a piece of luggage tumbled from an overhead compartment, striking a fellow passenger.

9News national affairs editor Andrew Probyn commented on the incident, saying, “It appears there’s been a minor mishap inside the aircraft.”

He further explained, “We understand it’s not severe, but as a precautionary step…”

“Apparently, one of the RAAF crew members at the rear of the plane opened an overhead bin, causing a heavy item to fall onto someone below,” Probyn added.

“But I stress it doesn’t seem to be too serious, as a precaution they’re stopping in Missouri.”

During his White House meeting with Trump, the prime minister inked an $8.5 billion critical minerals deal to combat China’s stranglehold on the industry, while the US president was effusive in his praise for Australia and signalled the AUKUS pact will go ahead as planned.