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| Trapped bee forces Flybe plane travelling from Southampton to Dublin to turn back | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A bee forced a Flybe plane travelling from Southampton to Dublin to turn back, it has emerged. | A bee forced a Flybe plane travelling from Southampton to Dublin to turn back, it has emerged. |
| The airline said the pilot of flight BE384 decided to return to the airport after a “suspected technical issue” on Friday. | The airline said the pilot of flight BE384 decided to return to the airport after a “suspected technical issue” on Friday. |
| One the ground, it was discovered the small insect had become trapped inside a piece of external kit on the plane. | One the ground, it was discovered the small insect had become trapped inside a piece of external kit on the plane. |
| A spokeswoman said: “Flybe can confirm that flight BE384 travelling to Dublin returned from airborne to Southampton following a suspected technical issue. The aircraft landed without incident and all passengers disembarked as normal. | A spokeswoman said: “Flybe can confirm that flight BE384 travelling to Dublin returned from airborne to Southampton following a suspected technical issue. The aircraft landed without incident and all passengers disembarked as normal. |
| “Upon inspection, Flybe engineers did discover that the cause of the issue was a bee that had become lodged in an item of instrumentation on the outside of the aircraft. | “Upon inspection, Flybe engineers did discover that the cause of the issue was a bee that had become lodged in an item of instrumentation on the outside of the aircraft. |
| “The safety of its passengers and crew is the airline's number one priority and Flybe regrets any inconvenience experienced as a result of the delay to this flight.” | “The safety of its passengers and crew is the airline's number one priority and Flybe regrets any inconvenience experienced as a result of the delay to this flight.” |
| Insects can cause serious problems for planes. | Insects can cause serious problems for planes. |
| In 1996, wasps blocked a pitot tube – which measures airspeed – on a Boeing 757 flying from the Dominican Republic. The plane crashed killing all 189 people on board shortly after take-off. | In 1996, wasps blocked a pitot tube – which measures airspeed – on a Boeing 757 flying from the Dominican Republic. The plane crashed killing all 189 people on board shortly after take-off. |
| And in 1980, a Florida Commuter Airlines flight with wasps in its pitot tubes crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, killing 34 people. | And in 1980, a Florida Commuter Airlines flight with wasps in its pitot tubes crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, killing 34 people. |