The passenger, said to be in her 80s, was detained by police.
A superstitious woman in China grounded a flight for more than five hours after she tossed coins into the engine as a wish for a safe flight, according to reports.
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The woman, believed to be in her 80s and only identified by her last name, Qiu, hurled the coins before boarding the China Southern Airlines Airbus 320, police said.
The crew had to disembark the entire flight, which had 150 people on board, and sent in engineers to inspect the engine and pull out all the coins.
China Southern Airlines flight from #Shanghai to #Guangzhou grounded for four hours after old lady throws coins into the engine pic.twitter.com/5Xwv2yVXqT
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) June 27, 2017
Engineers discovered just one coin inside the engine and eight on the ground near the plane, according to reports
The flight, which was headed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, was delayed for more than five hours.
"The passenger, surnamed Qiu, who has no prior criminal record or mental health issues, claimed she tossed coins as a prayer for a safe flight," Shanghai Police said in a statement.
Police detained Qiu, who was traveling with family members.
