Flight delayed after elderly woman throws “lucky” coins into engine

A flight was late leaving Shanghai this week, after an elderly woman was spotted throwing coins into the aircraft’s engine.

The Shanghai Daily reports that the 80-year-old woman was spotted throwing the coins by a fellow passenger as she was pushed to the aircraft in a wheelchair. She later told police that she did it to “wish a safe flight”.

Unfortunately for her and the other 150 passengers, the China Southern Airlines flight to Guangzhou was delayed for more than five hours as workers took the engine apart for a thorough examination.

Mechanics eventually found one coin inside the engine and another eight scattered around it. They had a total value of CNY1.70 (approx. 25 US cents), the airline said.

Police say that the incident is still under investigation.