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[Piecake]

Flights can be delayed for myriad reasons these days: Passenger scuffles. Disputes over a birthday cake. The birth of a baby on board. Gridlock has heard it all.

But on Tuesday, a China Southern Airlines flight was pushed back after an elderly woman was spotted throwing coins at the plane during the boarding process. One of the coins landed inside the engine, police said.

Local media outlets showed pictures of several investigators peering into an open engine and holding a handful of coins that had been retrieved from the area — including one from within the engine of the Airbus A320.

Police said the woman had no criminal record or history of mental illness, and had tossed the coins at the plane to “pray for a safe flight.” Police also said they would not jail the woman because of her age.

A senior flight mechanic told the news outlet that the crew members had been lucky, in a sense, that someone spotted the woman’s actions and alerted crew members before the flight took off.

“If nobody had reported someone throwing coins into the engine, the consequences could have been unthinkable,” he told Xinmin.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...nded-in-the-engine-and-caused-a-5-hour-delay/

Woops

 

[DarkKyo]

I think there was a thread on this last night, full of terrible puns.

 

[Kayhan]

I can't help but feel this is a bad thing to publicize.

Now would-be terrorist know they can toss a few coins into an engine for potentially catastrophic results.

 

[JCHandsom]

Penny for her thoughts?

 

[benicillin]

How were they boarding the plane? I've only flown once but I don't think I ever even saw the engine.

 

[Moose Biscuits]

I can't help but feel this is a bad thing to publicize.

Now would-be terrorist know they can toss a few coins into an engine for potentially catastrophic results.

I mean, as a terrorist you'd have to be pretty thick to not think this gem up yourself.

Also: they spotted her doing it? Not really a foolproof plan, though it certainly takes less investment than a bomb.

How were they boarding the plane? I've only flown once but I don't think I ever even saw the engine.

Some airports you get driven up to the plane on the tarmac and walk up stairs to the cabin door. Not everywhere has those bendy airlock things from the gate.

 

[CSJ]

How were they boarding the plane? I've only flown once but I don't think I ever even saw the engine.

Some airports have stairs into the aircraft.

 

[UberLevi]

Her prayers were answered and they discovered the coins before anyone could be hurt! Wow, amazing that we can still witness miracles in this day and age.

 

[NekoFever]

How were they boarding the plane? I've only flown once but I don't think I ever even saw the engine.

A lot of the time in smaller airports, planes or airlines you board by walking across the tarmac and climbing stairs into the plane.

 

[Shadybiz]

Wow, now that is just plane dumb.

 

[super-famicom]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1398163

 

[benicillin]

Some airports you get driven up to the plane on the tarmac and walk up stairs to the cabin door. Not everywhere has those bendy airlock things from the gate.

Ah, the more you know! Thanks!

Glad someone noticed this before the whole thing went Final Destination.

 

[Makai]

I think there was a thread on this last night, full of terrible puns.

What a coincidence

 

[HawksWinStanley]

As an idiot who knows nothing about aeronautical engineering, is there a reason they don't install some kind of durable screens in the front of the engines?

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

As an idiot who knows nothing about aeronautical engineering, is there a reason they don't install some kind of durable screens in the front of the engines?

1) That restricts airflow

2) Things crashing into something going 300+mph tend to get pretty fucked up. A screen getting smashed could easily cause far more problems than the solution you were looking for

 

[KHarvey16]

As an idiot who knows nothing about aeronautical engineering, is there a reason they don't install some kind of durable screens in the front of the engines?

Any kind of screen would cause too much air turbulence for the engine to operate properly. And if it were damaged the screen itself could be ingested and that's an even worse problem.

 

[GhostWriter24]

/facepalm.

I understand that the elderly can have their superstitions, but tossing coins at a fucking jetliner engine? Flat-out stupidity.

 

[StoOgE]

China has tons of airplanes that you take busses to board. Most of their airports aren't big enough for their rapid growth so it would be pretty easy to do.