A Chinese airline is suing a passenger who allegedly threw coins into a plane engine for good luck in east China earlier this month.
The superstitious act-which ironically occurred on a Lucky Air flight scheduled to fly from Anqing to Kunming on February 17, according to The Daily Mail-cost the low-cost carrier approximately $21,000 and affected more than 160 passengers.
The 28-year-old man, who was identified by his surname Lu, admitted to tossing two 1 yuan coins at the passenger jet's engine as he was boarding the plane on the tarmac at Anqing Tianzhushan Airport.
Ground staff found the coins by the plane's left engine, prompting officials to ground the flight due to security reasons before eventually canceling it altogether. Lu, who was traveling with his wife and one-year-old child, was detained for a week and now faces legal repercussions.
The remaining passengers flew to Kunming the following day after a full engine inspection.
"The incident caused a direct economic loss of nearly 140,000 yuan, and our company will press charges against the passenger in accordance with the law," Lucky Air said in a statement issued Friday. "Not only does tossing coins not give you good luck it will endanger aviation safety and land you in detention. You could be fined and prosecuted."
Somehow this isn't the first time a passenger has been detained after throwing coins at a Lucky Air jet engine. Previously, a 76-year-old woman was caught doing just that ahead of a Kunming-bound flight from Anqing. However, the woman was not charged in that incident.
In June 2017, an 80-year-old woman prompted a four-hour delay when she chucked coins at a China Southern Airlines aircraft engine at Pudong International Airport.
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