Chinese man who threw coins at plane for good fortune runs out of luck and faces criminal charges
- Lucky Air flight between Anhui and Yunnan suffers second money blessing misfortune in as many years thanks to superstitious passengers
A man who tossed coins at a plane for luck in eastern China will face criminal charges after the flight from Anqing to Kunming was grounded for security reasons, costing the airline nearly US$21,000.
Lucky Air Flight 8L9960 was cancelled at Anqing Tianzhushan Airport in Anhui province on Sunday after authorities found two 1 yuan coins near the port [left] engine of the plane, the airline’s WeChat account said.
A 28-year-old man, identified by his surname Lu, admitted to throwing them at the plane in hope of a safe journey and was detained by staff, local media outlet Xinan Evening News said.
The airline said on Friday that “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”.
If a coin is sucked into an aircraft engine, it may severely damage the rapidly-spinning turbine and cause engine failure, leading to serious safety hazards if the plane is in flight, engineers said in the report.