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Chinese grandma throws coins in jet engine, causes 5 hr delay

A Chinese elderly woman chucks coins into a jet engine to 'pray for a safe flight'

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Coins discovered by airport workers. (Weibo user 航空航天港)

Coins discovered by airport workers. (Weibo user 航空航天港)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- An elderly woman tossed coins into a jet engine as she prepared to board the plane on a flight from Shanghai to Guangzhou to "pray for a safe flight," causing an over five-hour delay.

As passengers were boarding China Southern Airlines flight CZ380 at Shanghai's Pudong Internatoinal Airport, and 80-year-old woman surnamed Qiu was spotted tossing coins into one of the aircraft's jet engines. Fellow passengers soon alerted police and the flight had to be delayed to have all passengers disembark and allow a maintenance crew to remove the coins and insure the safety of the aircraft.

Witnesses of the incident said on the Chinese version of Twitter, Weibo, that she tossed coins into "pray for a safe flight." According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, she had no record of criminal behavior or mental illness, and neighbors of the elderly woman say she is a devout Buddhist.

Airport workers and police found a total of nine coins, the equivalent to 1.7 Chinese yuan, including one lodged in the aircraft's engine.

The pilot told the media that the coins could have inflicted serious damage on the engine if they had not been detected.

The flight, which was originally scheduled to depart at 12:40 p.m., was delayed for a thorough inspection after the incident, and did not finally take off until 6:16 p.m. It seems her prayers were answered as a few hours later the plane landed safely at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport without incident.