Coins thrown into plane engine by elderly passenger for 'luck'
A superstitious elderly passenger
delayed a flight in Shanghai after throwing coins at the engine for good
luck, a Chinese airline has confirmed.
The 80-year-old woman threw her change at the China Southern Airlines flight as she crossed the tarmac to board.
She told police she launched the coins as she "prayed for safety" on Tuesday.
Of
the nine coins launched, only one hit its intended target - but this
was enough to force the evacuation of 150 passengers for several hours.
Police
were called to Shanghai Pudong International Airport after a passenger
noticed the woman's bizarre behaviour, apparently aimed at ensuring a
safe flight, and alerted authorities.
The woman, who was travelling with her husband, daughter and son-in-law, was then taken away for questioning by officers, local media report. She will not face charges.
"In order to make sure the flight is safe, China Southern maintenance
has conducted a full examination of the plane's engine," China Southern
Airlines said in a statement on the microblogging site Weibo.
Police later shared their findings, which had a total value of about 1.7 yuan (£0.20 / $0.25).
"After
an investigation the involved passenger, surnamed Qiu, said she threw
the coins to pray for safety. According to Qiu's neighbour, Qiu believes
in Buddhism," the police said.
The flight was eventually given the all-clear and took off at 17:52 local time (09:52 GMT), more than five hours late.
News
of the incident caused a fair amount of turbulence on the social media
site Weibo, with one user commenting: "Grandma, this is not a wish
fountain with turtles."
China Southern Airlines later urged
passengers to comply with civil aviation laws and regulations and avoid
behaviour that could prove detrimental to the safety of passengers
travelling on its flights.
BBC
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