Summary A superstitious senior citizen threw coins at the plane for a safe flight causing a 5 hour delay
(Web Desk) - A superstitious passenger in China delayed a passenger flight by 5 hours after throwing coins at the plane for good luck.
"The passenger, surnamed Qiu, who has no prior criminal record or mental health issues, claimed she tossed coins as a prayer for a safe flight," Shanghai Police said in a statement.
As a devoted Buddhist, she believed offering coins would ensure a safe flight to the Chinese city of Guangzhou.
The story started trending across the country on a twitter-like micro blogging website Weibo, where hundreds of users wrote on the incident with one sarcastically commenting: “Grandma, this is not a wish fountain with turtles.”
Police took away the old woman after passengers reported witnessing her throwing coins at the plane while boarding the China Southern Airlines Flight CZ380 on the tarmac of Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport. However, being a senior citizen and over the age of 70 she was exempted from serving 5 days behind bars and was set free.
Ground crew found nine coins at the scene, including one that fell into the engine of the Airbus A320 aircraft. According to CNN, the airline had to clear nearly150 passengers from the full flight bound for Guangzhou, originally scheduled to depart at 12:40 p.m.
"To ensure flight safety, China Southern s aircraft maintenance staff conducted a thorough inspection of the engine which concluded at 4:53 p.m. and cleared the aircraft for takeoff," the carrier said in a statement.
After a long delay to ensure the plane was safe to fly, the flight finally took off at 6:16 p.m. and arrived safely at its destination.
