A United scorpion incident — the second in as many months for the troubled airline — delayed a flight leaving George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Texas Thursday when the predatory-and-sometimes-poisonous arachnid was spotted before takeoff.
United Flight 1035 was scheduled to fly from Houston to Quito, Ecuador, when it was delayed, KHOU-TV reported.
While the airline originally stated that weather was the cause for the delay, one passenger tweeted about a scorpion being spotted.
United later released a statement, according to the Houston Chronicle.
"Houston to Quito Flight 1035 returned to the gate after a scorpion reportedly emerged from a customer's clothing," the United statement said. "Paramedics at the gate immediately examined the customer and determined that he had not been stung."
"The customer declined further medical treatment and, as a precaution, a new aircraft was arranged. We provided all passengers with a meal voucher due to the delay and the flight, with the customer aboard, has departed for Quito," the statement continued.
KHOU-TV reported that Flight 1035 took off nearly four hours later en route to Ecuador.
On April 9, Canadian native Richard Bell said he was stung by a scorpion on United Airlines flight from Houston to Calgary, according to the Toronto Star. The scorpion reportedly escaped from an overhead bin and landed on his head while inflight, according to the newspaper.
In that incident, the scorpion stung Bell on the thumb as he removed it from his head, stated the Star. The scorpion was stomped on and flushed down a lavatory toilet by flight attendants.
Bell received medical attention from a nurse on the flight and medical personnel met him once the aircraft landed in Calgary.
The April incident occurred the same day that physician David Dao was dragged from his seat on a United Airlines plane waiting to leave Chicago O'Hare International Airport.