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7 Bizarre Reasons for Planes Not Taking Off on Time | FairPlane UK / 16.03.2016
Here is a bit of fun. Sometimes it is hard to believe what goes on before a plane takes off. There have been some very strange events which have led to a delayed take-off - can these all be true?
1. A terrier dog found its way onto the runway at Congonhas Airport in Brazil and was chased for 20 minutes by airport staff and even firemen! Six planes were prevented from taking off whilst attempts were made to capture the dog. The terrier was eventually caught and 'taken into custody'.
2. In April 2015, an Air India flight had to be cancelled when an argument erupted in the cock-pit and the co-pilot ended up punching the captain! Air India deny that any physical violence took place but admit that the argument did take place. Apparently it was over the calculation of take off figures concerning the weight of the aircraft and the amount of fuel required.
3. On 10th March 2016, a keen eyed Easyjet passenger spotted a spanner which had been left wedged in the wing of a plane set to depart from Geneva to Copenhagen. Luckily, the passenger spotted the spanner in time and the plane was delayed whilst the spanner was removed. If the passenger had not spotted the tool then the plane may have suffered structural damage as the pilot would not have been able to withdraw the flaps after take-off which would have resulted in an in-flight emergency.
4. Moving to Australia now, a snake attempted to slither on-board a Virgin flight at Gold Coast Airport bound for Sidney but was luckily spotted at the door. Staff managed to get the snake into a bag and escort him off the flight. Apparently he didn't have a ticket.
5. In 2012, passengers on an American Airline's plane were shocked when, shortly before take off, one of the flight attendants announced that there were technical difficulties with the plane and she would not be responsible if it crashed! Obviously passengers were concerned but other staff tried to reassure them. The plane returned to the terminal where the flight attendant was given 'appropriate care'. There were no issues with the plane.
6. A rat on-board an Air India plane caused the plane to be taken out of service and all of the wiring checked. The rat could have caused serious problems by gnawing through wires on the plane. It was caught after the plane was fumigated.
7. And finally, in Chengdu, China, a China Southern flight bound for Urumqi in North West China as delayed when a passenger thought the cabin was too stuffy so opened an emergency door thinking it was a window in order to 'get some fresh air'. The flight was delayed by an hour whilst staff closed and re-set the emergency door and a new departure slot for the flight was allocated.
You couldn't make it up - could you?
