A China Southern Airlines flight was recently held up for hours after an elderly Chinese tourist allegedly threw coins into one of the plane’s engines for “good luck”.
According to South China Morning Post, Flight 380 from Shanghai to Guangzhou was about to take off when some passengers reported seeing an elderly tourist chucking coins at an engine while standing in the middle of the boarding staircase.
Officials at Shanghai Pudong International Airport immediately grounded the plane and launched an investigation into the disruption.
The woman appeared to be about 80 years old and had limited mobility, according to airport staff. She was traveling with her husband, daughter and son-in-law.
A maintenance crew found a total of nine coins in and around one engine after carrying out a thorough inspection of the aircraft. Eventually the flight was allowed to take off at 5:52pm – five hours later than scheduled – and landed in Guangzhou at 8:14pm local time.
The news source did not state whether the woman would face any consequence for her action which, if left undetected, could have endangered the airplane. According to the captain, the coins could cause serious damage if sucked up by the engine, leading to mechanical failure.
[Photo via South China Morning Post]
