Took an hour delay to get a fatty two, count'em TWO, seat belt extenders. We only had one on our aircraft and had to commandeer one from our sister ship.

Drained Jet A from a 152 sump one day while pre-flighting; apparently someone filled her up unknowingly..

at a prior company, we had a 421 refueled with Jet A (ramper thought it was a Conquest). Unfortunately the crew didn't find out until both engines quit about 1000 feet up. They didn't survive.

Golf balls on the taxiway!

My strangest reason for a go-around involves a rogue street sweeper.

Was once delayed as a passenger due to extreme cold weather. The cold weather resulted in a frozen fuel pump on the fuel truck, which had to be defrosted using a forced air heater. When the truck drove away, it drove over the electrical umbilical to the turboprop, which was severed. Finally got cleared for boarding (the now dark/unpowered/unheated aircraft). After walking across the ramp in -30 degree weather, the lady at the front of the line tripped walking up the stairs and dumped her purse into the lav/entryway of the aircraft. We finally get onboard (FA screaming "just sit anywhere so we can close the door!") and the ground crew comes out to deice the plane... the pump deice truck is frozen too and they can't get more than a trickle (think kinked garden hose) to "spray" out of the nozzle. The crew ended up defrosting us with a bucket and floor mop. Finally get started and cleared to the end of the runway and we end head to head on the taxiway with another aircraft that made a wrong turn. Ground ops had to come out with tug to push him back 100' so we could get to the next turnoff.


Other delays: Flight cancelled due to the door on the CRJ falling completely off the aircraft after being hit very forcefully by a jetbridge.

Delayed due to an FAA inspector grounding the aircraft because the tread on the door of the CRJ "Didn't have enough grit to prevent somebody from slipping when the door got wet". The weather that day was clear and a million with no chance of rain insight.

Delayed once due to an FAA inspector that demanded to "ride along" at the cost of bumping three passengers due to weight and balance issues. He ended up getting left behind after we figured out he was a GA inspector from a FSDO that wasn't anywhere close to our geographic area of operations.

Delayed once in CMH to wait for lifeguard medical materials. Ended up being King Cobra snakebite anti-venom from Jack Henna's zoo.

Fly long enough and you'll see all sorts of oddball stuff happen...

Delayed in deplaning for about 15 minutes at 11PM at a small outstation due to a skunk who took up residence between the aircraft and the terminal. Trust me, you don't want to "scare" him away. Told the PAX they were free to leave, but what the issue was....Not one person left until the skunk finally wandered off on its own.

I was flying charter in a PC 12 and on taxi out the guts started churning... Needless to say I had to take a Sierra Hotel India Tango.

"Dog condition severe". Was at a Korean airfield once where a pack of stray dogs were running loose on the airfield. It took the wildlife guys 30 minutes before they were under control.

I remember that day. I was at a Korean restaurant and the dog was pretty good actually!

Fear the rumble!