A Scorpion on United Flight

One United Airlines passenger got an unexpected surprise when she was stung by a stow-away scorpion on a recent flight from San Francisco to Atlanta.

An unnamed passenger was in her seat mid-flight when she felt a sting on her leg. The stinging sensation prompted her to head to the lavatory, where a scorpion fell out of her pant leg, scurried across the floor, and was eventually caught by flight attendants. The woman shared a picture of the scorpion with TMZ and reported she was stung “multiple” times. This bizarre event was confirmed by United Airlines spokesperson, Natalie Noonan, in a statement, “After learning that one of our customers on flight 1554 from San Francisco to Atlanta was stung during flight, our crew responded immediately and consulted with a MedLink physician on the ground who provided medical guidance. The customer was transported to a local hospital. We have been in contact with our customer to ensure her well-being.”

The scorpion in question is commonly found in California and typically resides in the desert, but is known to find its way into unwanted places, including aircraft. United isn’t the first airline to have this happen. In February, a woman flying from Toronto to Calgary on Air Transat was stung on her back when a scorpion crawled onto her seat. A spokesperson from the carrier stated, “Although this is an extremely rare situation, it can unfortunately occur. Our teams followed the protocols in place and a complete inspection of the aircraft, as well as an extermination process, were carried.”