Current:Home > ScamsJapan ANA plane turns back to Tokyo after man bites flight attendant -Blueprint Money Mastery
Japan ANA plane turns back to Tokyo after man bites flight attendant
View
Date:2025-04-19 09:16:13
Tokyo — A US-bound ANA plane had to return to Tokyo after an intoxicated passenger bit a cabin attendant mid-flight, the Japanese carrier said Wednesday. The passenger, reportedly a 55-year-old man believed to be American, sunk his teeth into a crew member's arm while "heavily drunk," leaving her mildly injured, an All Nippon Airways spokesman told AFP.
The incident prompted pilots of the plane with 159 passengers on board to turn back over the Pacific to Haneda airport, where the man was handed over to police, according to ANA.
Japanese broadcaster TBS quoted the passenger as telling investigators that he "doesn't recall at all" his behavior.
The incident left some social media users likening it in mock horror to the "beginning of a zombie movie."
Others lamented the litany of Japanese aviation woes so far this year — with four other incidents making headlines in just over two weeks.
The most serious was a near-catastrophic collision at Haneda between a Japan Airlines aircraft and a smaller coast guard plane on January 2. All 379 people on board the JAL Airbus escaped just before the aircraft was engulfed in flames. Five of the six people on the smaller aircraft, which was helping in a relief operation after a major earthquake in central Japan, died.
Then on Tuesday, the wing tip of a Korean Air airliner struck an empty Cathay Pacific plane while taxiing at an airport in the northern island of Hokkaido. Korean Air said the accident, which caused no injuries, happened after "the third-party ground handler vehicle slipped due to heavy snow."
A similar mishap took place on Sunday when an ANA aircraft came into "contact" with a Delta Air Lines plane at a Chicago airport, the Japanese airline told AFP, also causing no injuries.
Another ANA flight reportedly had to turn back on Saturday after a crack was discovered on the cockpit window of the Boeing 737-800.
"Wing strike" incidents "do happen" because many airports are handling bigger planes than they were built for, Doug Drury, aviation expert at Central Queensland University, told AFP.
"The cracked window incident may have been caused by a faulty window heat system as the temperatures are quite extreme at altitude," he added. "This is not uncommon and has happened to me during my career."
- In:
- Travel
- Tokyo
- Asia
- Japan
- Airlines
veryGood! (17739)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- National Chicken Wing Day deals: Get free wings at Wingstop, Buffalo Wild Wings, more
- Horoscopes Today, July 28, 2024
- Paris Olympics highlights: Team USA wins golds Sunday, USWNT beats Germany, medal count
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Showbiz Grand Slam
- US regulators OK North Carolina Medicaid carrot to hospitals to eliminate patient debt
- Fresh quakes damage West Texas area with long history of tremors caused by oil and gas industry
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Rafael Nadal's loss vs. Novak Djokovic suggests his time in tennis is running short
Ranking
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Beacon may need an agent, but you won't see the therapy dog with US gymnasts in Paris
- From discounted trips to free books, these top hacks will help you nab deals
- Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr. settle legal and personal disputes
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Justin Bieber Cradles Pregnant Hailey Bieber’s Baby Bump in New Video
- MLB power rankings: Top-ranked teams flop into baseball's trade deadline
- ‘White Dudes for Harris’ is the latest in a series of Zoom gatherings backing the vice president
Recommendation
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
Olympic Games use this Taylor Swift 'Reputation' song in prime-time ad
California school official convicted of embezzling over $16M concealed cash in fridge
Simone Biles to compete on all four events at Olympic team finals despite calf injury
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
All the best Comic-Con highlights, from Robert Downey Jr.'s Marvel return to 'The Boys'
Get 80% Off Wayfair, 2 Kylie Cosmetics Lipsticks for $22, 75% Off Lands' End & Today's Best Deals
Olympics soccer winners today: USWNT's 4-1 rout of Germany one of six Sunday matches in Paris