'One of our pilots landed, with passengers, at the wrong airport': 20 Crazy airport incidents that only frequent flyers and airline staffers got to witness

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Nov 19, 2023 11:00 AM EST

We don't think you can top these tales of airport madness. But you're welcome to try! 

If you work in the airline industry, or you're just a frequent flyer, you're going to witness some crazy moments eventually. From a grandma accidentally smuggling scissors through security, to an escaped pup running around the tarmac, these people have seen some things. 

Nothing crazy has ever happened to me at the airport, except the time I waited in the security line for three full hours, which was excruciating. And the times I've paid large amounts of money for terrible airport food (also excruciating). But these people had some amazing and actually insane stories to tell in response to u/New-Low5765's question. The OP aimed the question at airport workers, asking them to share their craziest days at work, and they delivered some amazing stories! Frequent flyers chimed in as well. All these stories show that pilots and flight crews are human too, and everyone makes mistakes. With that in mind, maybe don't read this as you're about to get on a flight. 

Scroll down to read all these stories of airplane mayhem. Then, check out another airport story: this security agent was on a "power trip," but he was quickly outsmarted by this traveller. 

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  • 01
    'As a baggage handler I once had a shipment of live Alaskan crabs escape their container ... Flights were delayed.'
    via Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash
  • 02
    People who work in the airline industry, what are some of the craziest things you have seen?
    via u/New-Low5765
  • 03
    Gregwaaah As a baggage handler I once had a shipment of live Alaskan crabs escape their container on the ramp. Flights were delayed. Turns out those guys scatter when they panic and try to hide under anything and everything.
    via u/Gregwaaah
  • 04
    A plane I got on once almost left without half of its aircrew on it.
    via r/AskReddit
  • 05
    railker Escaped we ner dog evading airport firefighters, security and a baggage handler in the tall grass/apron areas for a significant amount of time while airport operations continued.
    via u/railker
  • 06
    tweezer606060 We had a small commissary buggy to stock up planes when they'd land....tiny little car that went 30mph....bag of toilet paper fell off the passenger seat and landed on the gas pedal with nobody in it....it did circles for five minutes before it hit a wall....almost took out
    via u/tweezer606060
  • 07
    Not airline but Im a helicopter engineer. North sea Oil and gas We got asked by a pilot, "what's the max weight for the cabin step" Assuming the pilot is away wanting it for a joke we say no idea, couple hundred KG..... Pilot dead pan looks at
    via r/AskReddit
  • 08
    us and says no he needs to know. Ok fine, we go checking the manuals and eventually find it's 200kg max load. Next he says what's the max weight of a cabin seat. Again, we think what the go back to manauls and find out that it's 220kg. he on. But we
    via r/AskReddit
  • 09
    Ok thanks, says the pilot. "I'm asking because my next flight has an unusual passenger....... A SEVEN FOOT 7 INCH..... 185KG MAN!!! this guy was from Fiji, and they are built different. This guy walking out to the aircraft looked like he was away to pick it up and play with it... Never see a walking land mass of a human like him since.
    via r/AskReddit
  • 10
    Accurate-Response317. An A380 pulling into a closed bay while we had the air bridge in pieces
    via u/Accurate-Response317
  • 11
    maxwellmaxen I once loaded the cargo hold of a private A320 to the brim with bottled water
    via u/maxwellmaxen
  • 12
    several planes....driver got supspended for only a week...she was our union steward
    via u/tweezer606060
  • 13
    tweezer606060 I saw someone go around some safety cones and take a shortcut with his tug And he wound up axle deep in fresh cement
    via u/tweezer606060
  • 14
    XennaNa A grandma had an oversized pair of scissors, she wanted to take them with her. Instead of putting them in her checked in bag, she decided to put them in her shoe. So out of all options she decided that smuggling is the way to go and got the cops called.
    via u/XennaNa
  • 15
    KELCE 62 caz_uno Worked in operations at IAH for a while, one of our pilots landed with passengers at the wrong airport.
    via u/caz_uno
  • 16
    xampl9 Not in the industry, but boarded a Northwest flight many years ago. A lady in the emergency exit row (a couple of rows behind me) called the FA back and said "I can stick my arm out of the plane". I look out my window and sure enough, she's waving back at me.
    via u/xampl9
  • 17
    Takeoff was delayed while they called maintenance to re-seal the exit window.
    via u/xampl9
  • 18
    NachoPichu Walked into the flight deck and the pilots were showing each other the various nicks, cuts and scratches they've gotten from banging into stuff while trying to get into their chairs, pilot turns to first officer and says "yeah this thing is a real death trap!" Didn't
    via u/NachoPichu
  • 19
    realize I was there to let them know we had commenced boarding and passengers were walking directly behind me down the aisle. Thankfully I don't think anyone overheard his comment.
    via u/NachoPichu
  • 20
    egglayingzebra My dad was a reservation agent for Piedmont, then US Airways. A man called in one day because he had sneezed while in the lavatory, and lost his dentures down the toilet. He wanted them back.
    via u/egglayingzebra
  • 21
    xarumitzu I'm an aircraft mechanic. I got called out once because a passenger had accidentally dropped their cell phone into a lavatory toilet. That took me a little while to fish out because it had slid into a tiny corner of the toilet tank. The passenger wanted the phone back, so I had to put it in a giant red biohazard bag.
    via u/xarumitzu
  • 22
    My craziest call though had to be the time a refueling hose had popped. I drive out to the gate and it looks like a geyser of fuel is spraying up out of the hose. Someone hits the e-stop as I get out of my van, and I start inspecting the plane. The entire right engine (CRJ-900) and a good portion of the right rear of the fuselage is
    via u/xarumitzu
  • 23
    soaked with fuel. I'm standing there wondering what they expect a mechanic to do about all this, when I get a call from my office because the pilots were wondering if they were good to go (they were not). We ended up towing the plane back to our hangar to wash the whole thing.
    via u/xarumitzu
  • 24
    HP: H3adshotfox77 Pulled flight control computers and smacked them on the ground to reset cards then reinstalled and told the pilot he was good to fly.
    via u/H3adshotfox77
  • 25
    WesternExpress I travel a lot, and although I don't work for an airline I feel like I do sometimes. Anyway, I was sitting on the plane as boarding was continuing, and we get a sudden, urgent sounding page over the intercom to "calmly but quickly evacuate the aircraft back through the jetbridge."
    via u/WesternExpress
  • 26
    The plane deboards faster than I have ever seen (although actually calmly, surprisingly), and on getting to the top of jetbridge I look out the window. Only to see about 3-4 fire trucks, and what can only be described as a LAKE of jet fuel under the centre of the aircraft. Like, it was closing in on being the size of the wingspan.
    via u/WesternExpress
  • 27
    There was also a guy in a suit red-faced screaming at the ramp crew, who I assume had not hooked things up correctly, leading to our new lake. That could have ended a lot worse than it did, but fortunately after about 90 mins of cleanup we reboarded and got back on our way. I presume the day was a lot longer for
    via u/WesternExpress
  • 28
    those idiotic rampies and their likely newfound unemployment.
    via u/WesternExpress
  • 29
    wilsonthehuman Not air crew myself but my sister has been for just under a year. She's seen some odd things but nothing to really write home about, apart from the story she told me about a guy that wouldn't stop doing yoga in the galley area on a flight between Heathrow and NYC. She's already
    via u/wilsonthehuman
  • 30
    dealt with a few dr nk people requiring removal from the plane by cops. A friend of her colleagues was, however, involved in an incident where a passenger decided it would be a good idea to open the plane's door while the plane was coming into land.
    via u/wilsonthehuman
  • 31
    Turns out that model of aircraft has a flaw where passengers in the first row can easily reach and open the doors. Everyone got a new windswept hair do that day.
    via u/wilsonthehuman
  • 32
    VinneBabarino When I was a ramp rat in the 90's we were servicing the airplane as people embarked. The pilot came over the speakers and spoke about the flight details and said we will land in Dallas in approx 1-1/2 hours. He then said if
    via u/VinneBabarino
  • 33
    you're on the wrong flight please get off. Dead silence and 3 minutes later the pilot and co pilot exited the airplane as they were the ones on the wrong flight.
    via u/VinneBabarino
  • 34
    s169ja I was boarding a woman and her 6 kids along with a 3 month old infant. She was asked to pay handling charges on a television she had. Upon asking she said she is not carrying a television and only has 3 suitcases. Turns out someone booked 4 extra suitcases under
    via u/s169ja
  • 35
    her name and everything was under investigation by the police. She was kicked off the flight along with her children and all 7 bags. Flight was delayed for over an hour.
    via u/s169ja
  • 36
    Reyndeer Gaming · Don't work in the airline industry but the flight was delayed since the pilots didn't get there in time. When the pilots arrived they were all laughing and bragging how much they drank last night and how they barely remember it. Was a bit scary but at least planes almost fly themselves nowadays
    via u/Reyndeer Gaming

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