Passenger throws coins into plane engine for good luck

[Gabbar Singh]

Oh dear.

A superstitious passenger delayed a flight from Shanghai for several hours on Tuesday after throwing coins at the plane's engine for good luck, Chinese officials said.

The elderly woman was detained by police at Shanghai Pudong International Airport following the bizarre incident, forcing nearly 150 passengers to be evacuated from the plane bound for Guangzhou in southern China.

The 80-year-old threw nine coins at an engine of China Southern Airlines flight CZ380 as she was boarding on the tarmac.

Eight of the coins missed their target but one nestled inside an engine, airport police said, adding that a passenger spotted her and reported it to authorities.

The elderly woman was travelling with her husband, daughter and son-in-law, Beijing Youth Daily said.

"A senior passenger threw coins to the plane's engine and delayed the flight. The passenger involved has been taken away by police," China Southern Airlines said in a statement on its Twitter-like Weibo account.

"In order to make sure the flight is safe, China Southern maintenance has conducted a full exam of the plane's engine."

The incident was soon trending on Weibo and police added in a statement: "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.

"The plane is boarding again for takeoff."

Hundreds of thousands of Weibo users had a field day, with one commenting sarcastically: "Grandma, this is not a wish fountain with turtles."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/27/chinese-passenger-throws-coins-plane-engine-luck/

 

[Syed1]

A small coin can do massive damage to the multi-million dollar jet engine. The lady is lucky nothing major happened.

 

[Enigma_]

A small coin can do massive damage to the multi-million dollar jet engine. The lady is lucky nothing major happened.

Not an expert in aviation but surely this can't be true? A bloody plane engine would shred through the coin! Surely!?

 

[Syed1]

Not an expert in aviation but surely this can't be true? A bloody plane engine would shred through the coin! Surely!?

Sir next time you are boarding a flight, look around and see if you can find any birds. The airports make very, very sure that bird deterrents are placed all around the runways and taxi-ing areas of a plane. There have been cases where birds and have been sucked into the jet engine and the entire engine was engulfed in flames.

This is a metallic coin we are talking about. Also you might be right that the engine will rip the coin but the engine blades are expecting air and not metal to fall on them and hence a coin can fracture the compressor blades which may mean at the very least that particular engine will have to go back to the shop for repair. Also it is a compound effect. The coin fractures the blade which is rotating at massive revs and hence completely turns into shreds which then sends shards of metal all through the engine body faster than a bullet.


Source:
1. Mechanical Engineer
2. Taken several courses on turbo-machinery
3. Passion for aviation

 

[Enigma_]

Sir next time you are boarding a flight, look around and see if you can find any birds. The airports make very, very sure that bird deterrents are placed all around the runways and taxi-ing areas of a plane. There have been cases where birds and have been sucked into the jet engine and the entire engine was engulfed in flames.

This is a metallic coin we are talking about. Also you might be right that the engine will rip the coin but the engine blades are expecting air and not metal to fall on them and hence a coin can fracture the compressor blades which may mean at the very least that particular engine will have to go back to the shop for repair. Also it is a compound effect. The coin fractures the blade which is rotating at massive revs and hence completely turns into shreds which then sends shards of metal all through the engine body faster than a bullet.


Source:
1. Mechanical Engineer
2. Taken several courses on turbo-machinery
3. Passion for aviation

Fair enough. I did not know that! You learn something new everyday. Thanks for the reply!

 

[TahirFan]

She would have received good luck if she gave those coins to the poor and needy

 

[msb314]

Sir next time you are boarding a flight, look around and see if you can find any birds. The airports make very, very sure that bird deterrents are placed all around the runways and taxi-ing areas of a plane. There have been cases where birds and have been sucked into the jet engine and the entire engine was engulfed in flames.

This is a metallic coin we are talking about. Also you might be right that the engine will rip the coin but the engine blades are expecting air and not metal to fall on them and hence a coin can fracture the compressor blades which may mean at the very least that particular engine will have to go back to the shop for repair. Also it is a compound effect. The coin fractures the blade which is rotating at massive revs and hence completely turns into shreds which then sends shards of metal all through the engine body faster than a bullet.


Source:
1. Mechanical Engineer
2. Taken several courses on turbo-machinery
3. Passion for aviation

But doesn't the engine already intake dust, debris rocks when flying?

 

[Nostalgic]

Sir next time you are boarding a flight, look around and see if you can find any birds. The airports make very, very sure that bird deterrents are placed all around the runways and taxi-ing areas of a plane. There have been cases where birds and have been sucked into the jet engine and the entire engine was engulfed in flames.

True. In Pakistan, back in the day, one of the "bird deterrents" was actually a team of people with the official designation of "bird shooter." I've spent a lot of my childhood on airports, because my father and uncle were both in Civil Aviation, but I never recall seeing the bird killers at work. I have however met a few of them.

 

[Syed1]

But doesn't the engine already intake dust, debris rocks when flying?

Bhai which rocks and debris you know are suspended in mid air?

 

[Specialisttailender]

 

[Syed1]

True. In Pakistan, back in the day, one of the "bird deterrents" was actually a team of people with the official designation of "bird shooter." I've spent a lot of my childhood on airports, because my father and uncle were both in Civil Aviation, but I never recall seeing the bird killers at work. I have however met a few of them.

So instead of killing birds they were killing flies.





It sounded better in my head and in Urdu.

 

[msb314]

Bhai which rocks and debris you know are suspended in mid air?

Umm like when you flight through a desert or mountainous region with high winds?

 

[Nostalgic]

So instead of killing birds they were killing flies.





It sounded better in my head and in Urdu.

Yes, "makkhi maarna" translates poorly into English.