Baggage Handler Accidentally Causes $6M In Damage

A baggage handler told the The Sun he is “mortified” after a simple error caused more than $6 million in damage to a British Airways plane.

The news outlet is reporting things went horribly wrong as an Airbus A320 plane taxied on the runway at London Heathrow Airport. Having just finished loading the plane with luggage, the baggage handler accidentally left his scanning gun – a device used to scan the barcodes of suitcases to make sure the correct luggage is put on the plane – on the aircraft’s engine cover. Within moments, the gun was sucked into the engine, and the results were apparently disastrous. After hearing a loud bang, the pilot aborted takeoff and evacuated the 150 passengers on board.

According to The Sun, nobody has been suspended over the blunder – not even the baggage handler who made the six million dollar mistake. The airline, however, is investigating the incident, which could have been much worse if it had happened after takeoff. The plane has already been repaired, and the passengers made it to their destination of Bucharest, Romania, about three hours late.

[via news.com.au]