Passengers on a U.S. Airways flight bound for NYC were evacuated from the aircraft before takeoff Monday after maggots crawled out of an overheard compartment. As the plane was taxiing, passenger Donna Adamo heard another passenger behind her causing a commotion and refusing to take her seat. "Then I heard the word 'maggot' and that kind of got everybody creeped out," she tells the AP. "The maggots, they started to drip out of the bin in row 15... All of a sudden, I felt somebody flick the back of my hair and on the front of me came a maggot, which I flicked off me." Let's go to the videotape!
The pilot then announced that they were returning to the gate because of a "minor emergency on board" and the flight attendants told everyone "to sit down and be calm" and not think about the maggots that were probably crawling up their legs. Adamo gives the AP the best quote EVER: "I felt like they were crawling all over me because it only takes one maggot to upset your world. And as they're telling us to stay calm and seated, I see a maggot looking back at me and I'm thinking, 'These are anaerobic, flesh-eating larvae that the flight attendants don't have to sit with.' "
U.S. Airways spokesman Todd Lemacher released the following statement: "A passenger had brought a container of spoiled meat onto the plane. After it was discovered, all passengers were checked to make sure no other carry-on items had been contaminated and the passenger with the spoiled meat was re-accommodated on another airline. The U.S. Airways aircraft continued with its passengers on to Charlotte, where the aircraft has been taken out of service and will be fumigated as precautionary measure."
It's impressive somebody was able to get spoiled meat through security—we've been forced to throw out perfectly good sandwiches by the screeners! "You can buy meat anywhere," Adamo concludes. "I don't know what special piece of meat was in Atlanta that needed to get to Charlotte, but it affected hundreds, if not thousands ... of passengers."
