It Was His First Time Flying. His 'Good Luck' Coins Backfired

Throwing coins into a fountain is often considered lucky; tossing them anywhere else could get dicey. Lu Chao of China found that out quickly after the first-time flier threw a handful of yuan coins into the engine of his Lucky Air plane in February of last year as he was getting on the aircraft, the BBC reports. When crew spotted the money on the ground next to the engine, the flight was canceled, the plane examined, and passengers left without their original flight to Kunming from Anqing.

Lucky Air says the entire incident cost it upward of $17,600, mainly to book accommodations and new flights for passengers, per the South China Morning Post. Lu, 28, was arrested and detained for 10 days on charges of disturbing public order. Lucky Air also filed a civil suit against him. In court in July (the court just recently posted the ruling), Lu placed blame for the incident on the airline, insisting it should've had warnings not to hurl coins at its planes. While that may seem to defy common sense, the paper notes similar incidents have happened in China in the past, with people hoping their coin-tossing at airplanes and airports would bring luck to their flights. (More weird crimes stories.)