Superstitious Woman Throws Coins Into Airplane's Engine For Good Luck
She just wanted to ensure an uneventful journey.
But an airplane passenger’s superstitious actions ended up grounding a China Southern Airlines flight at Shanghai Pudong International Airport for several hours on Tuesday.
That was after the woman, identified by her surname Qiu, threw a handful of coins into an Airbus 320’s engine to “wish a safe flight,” according to police.
China Southern Airlines flight from #Shanghai to #Guangzhou grounded for four hours after old lady throws coins into the engine pic.twitter.com/5Xwv2yVXqT
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) June 27, 2017
Fellow travelers said they saw Qiu, who is believed to be in her 80s, toss the change from halfway up the boarding staircase.
Crew members ordered passengers who had already boarded off the aircraft so that engineers could inspect the engine. They found one coin inside the engine and eight on the ground nearby, the South China Morning Post reports.
The flight to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport eventually departed some five hours later than scheduled.
An old lady threw 9 coins in the engine of an airplane for good luck. Technicians saw her and removed the coins. #china #flight pic.twitter.com/KRXHtQKflt
— Aviationcoaching.com (@AvioCoaching) June 27, 2017
Police had reportedly detained Qiu, who was traveling with family members.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.