Cat in the Cockpit: Free-Roaming Feline Causes 4-Hour Flight Delay

Digital Vision/Thinkstock(HALIFAX, Nova Scotia) -- A curious cat led to a major flight delay for passengers of one Air Canada Flight from Halifax to Toronto on Thursday. Ten-year-old Ripples was put back in his carrier after going through airport security but his owner, Debbie Harris, failed to realize that one of the latches on the carrier was improperly done.

As Harris got on the plane, the latch on Ripples’ carrier gave way and the cat ran through the aisles to first class where passengers tried and failed to catch him. Ripples then made his way to the cockpit, diving under the pilots’ feet into a small inaccessible wiring compartment.

Passengers were forced to leave the plane as technicians worked to take the compartment apart and free the cat. Ripples was extracted from the compartment and the flight took off for Toronto, more than four hours behind schedule.

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