by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:18 AM ET, Tue June 27, 2017
An elderly woman in China caused a four-hour flight delay after she threw coins into a plane engine to reportedly wish for a safe journey.
According to ShanghaiDaily.com, an 80-year-old woman identified only as Qiu was preparing to board China Southern Airlines Flight CZ380 from Pudong International Airport to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China when she threw the coins at the engine from the apron.
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The Airbus 320 was scheduled to depart from Pudong at 12:40 p.m. local time, but was delayed for more than four hours as mechanics worked to inspect the engine of the plane.
Passengers who already boarded the flight were removed as officials attempted to find out if any coins were stuck inside the engine.
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Mechanics reported finding one coin inside the engine and eight coins around the area. They then cleared the plane to fly again at around 4:50 p.m. local time. The incident is under investigation, but China Southern officials said all passengers must abide by aviation laws.
Reports claims Qiu had no previous criminal record and no history of mental illness. One of the passengers boarding the plane with the elderly woman said she threw the coins into the engine to wish it a safe flight.
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