Bugs on a Plane: Wasps Cause Aborted Qantas Take Off

Posted by Shabana on February 8, 2008
Filed under: Australia, News, Odds + Ends

Like what you see? Subscribe to the full RSS feed.

Wasp Macro
I Sting © furryscaly

According to the BBC, a series of aborted take-offs at Australia’s Brisbane airport has been linked to wasp infestation of the airplanes involved. Apparently, wasps got to work building nests inside five Qantas airplanes while they were waiting on the runway.

On one of the flights aborted during take-off, the pilot reportedly noticed smoke coming from the landing gear area – at least six of the eight landing gear tires had been deflated by a sudden increase in temperature. A check later revealed “wasp debris” in the pitot systems. Wasps have also been suspected of causing the other four take-off disruptions, but the authorities found no “wasp debris” to pin the blame.

Makes you wonder how long those planes were sitting on the runway. I mean, how long does it take to build a wasp nest from scratch?

If you liked this post, subscribe to our full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by email and have new posts delivered directly to your inbox daily.





Like This Post? You Might Also Like:

Our Sponsors

Comments