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US Airways flight delayed after bees swarm around aircraft, leaving passengers stranded onboard for hours

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If you’re a fan of Samuel L Jackson films, you’ll know about the perils of snakes on a plane. However, passengers onboard a recent US Airways flight lived out an unlikely sequel to the Hollywood blockbuster involving a swarm of bees! (www.theaviationwriter.com) More...

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Lunarstorm777
(v)e Same 1
Ahhh our dastardly Southeastern bees strike again! Had something like this happen back around '05 down the road at GSP. A Chataqua ERJ was about to get pushed out of the gate and the whole swarm was on the move. Apparently they didn't like the sound the of the cross bleed kicking over and started swarming the jet. I was standing there like an idiot for a few moments going, "Hmmm, this is new. Ash coming out of the APU?" Thats when I realized it wasn't ash floating around, they were very ALIVE and very unhappy honey bees! All the pax on that plane were laughing their arses off at me looking like a ramp ninja trying to fend off the few that came to investigate me. After a few min they flew over the concourse and were gone. Pilots thought it was funny as hell too. I guess running off like a little girl and hiding under a nearby CRJ wing didn't help my manliness factor any either.
preacher1
preacher1 1
Don't feel bad. They may have thought it funny as they were safe and sound on the inside of the plane and you made for good entertainment. I'd have probably been right with you had I been there and I expect they would have been too, had they been on the outside.
Some folks keep bees, some folks fly planes. They can keep their bees and I'll fly my plane. LOL
Lunarstorm777
(v)e Same 1
All too true, but what pilot doesn't like a some honey? Anywho, I just don't see the big deal honestly. I mean, with the ERJ we just told them to spin up at the gate. The bees got the hint pretty quickly and left. Shame that CR9 couldn't just do the same and deploy the reverse thrusters for a few minutes hehe.
PhotoFinish
PhotoFinish 1
That's what I figured would be all it takes. The plane would move along on schedule.

Guess, they might've been concerned about leaving a swarm of angry bees on the ramp.
preacher1
preacher1 1
Didn't this happen somewhere else awhile back. Different airport and airline? I'm thinking they swarmed an engine?
Derg
Roland Dent 2
Yeah well they like warm places and Airbus cowls are not know to fit or latch well.
preacher1
preacher1 1
Seems to me there was a post or an NTSB finding about that awhile back also.
Derg
Roland Dent 2
Haha a while back? On going for at least 10/15 years. Only team that knows how to latch and fix 'em is JetBlue at KJFK. Airbus are above us mortals. They never listen.
frankfurt982
andy streit 1
Very common place in PHX. Happens several times per year during the summer months. Usually there is a bee-keeper somewhere close by, and they are taken care of within an hour. Most of the times, they congregate around a jet bridge or under the concourse. Its really quite marvelous to see thousands of bees swarm one particular place with no warning.
preacher1
preacher1 0
This wasn't Phoenix though; this was at CLT
frankfurt982
andy streit 2
Per your below comment, you asked "didn't this happen somewhere else awhile back?" I was answering your below by saying this happens in Phoenix all the time. Hope it wasn't to terribly confusing.
preacher1
preacher1 0
PhotoFinish
PhotoFinish 1
Stowaways. Tired of the desert heat in summer.
seattlesix
seattlesix 1
A lot of the people on board were NASCAR-related ... media, crew, etc ... on their way to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400 weekend ...
GoodePhoto
Danny Goode 1
An episode on the Travel Channels MIA 24/7 was about a swarm of bees causing a gate to be closed.

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