BEIJING - An elderly passenger on a flight from Shanghai to Guangzhou allegedly threw coins into the plane's engine for "good luck" while boarding, according to Chinese media reports, forcing the plane to remain on the tarmac for five more hours.
China Southern Airlines Flight 380 was held up at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport after passengers saw the woman throwing coins at the engine from the middle of the boarding staircase and alerted the crew, reported The South China Morning Post.
After maintenance crew inspected the aircraft, they found nine coins in one engine. The captain was quoted as saying that if the metal was sucked up by the engine, it could have caused a catastrophic failure.
"After investigation, the involved passenger surnamed Qiu said she threw the coins to pray for safety. According to Qiu's neighbour, Qiu believes in Buddhism."
View attachment 550149