CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bees swarmed part of a US Airways plane Wednesday afternoon, preventing it from departing from Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a passenger tells NBC Charlotte.
US Airways says Flight 2690 was set to depart to Indianapolis until it was held at the gate.
Charlotte Observer reporter Jim Utter was on board the plane. He tells NBC Charlotte the pilot told passengers bees were preventing them from taking off. The airport says the swarm surrounded the tug, a piece of equipment.
"Just as we were getting ready to pull off the gate, the pilot comes on and says we can’t pull off because bees have swarmed at the front of the plane. I have yet to see a single bee. I don’t know if anyone else has. It’s just really strange. We’re not allowed to get off the plane. I mean, go buy a can of Raid or something. This is ridiculous. It’s hot on this plane, they won’t let us off, this is ridiculous,” he said.
Utter tweeted around 3:45 p.m. that the plane was “bee free.”
The airline says no one was ever in danger, but the fire department reported responding to one bee sting.
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