A United Airlines flight was evacuated Thursday evening after a customer said he saw a scorpion crawl out of a fellow passenger’s sleeve.
Following the incident, a new aircraft was arranged for the flight from George Bush Airport in Houston, to Quito, Ecuador, a spokesperson from United told Coins2Day. According to the airline, paramedics at the gate examined the customer and determined he had not been stung. “We provided all passengers with a meal voucher due to the delay and the flight, with the customer aboard, has departed for Quito,” United’s statement continued.
A passenger on the flight told local news channel KHOU that a man sitting at the back of the plane was asleep when the critter emerged from his clothing. It is unclear whether or not the scorpion was ever discovered by the airline.
Thursday’s incident is the second time this month that United has been hit by scorpion-related issues. On April 12, the same day a man was dragged off an overbooked United flight, a customer was stung by a scorpion. “Our flight attendants helped a customer who was stung by what appeared to be a scorpion,” United (UAL) told Coins2Day. The airline added that a physician assured the crew it was not a life-threatening matter and medical personnel met the aircraft when it arrived in Calgary.