A woman in China was shocked to find a live and moving cockroach lodged in the window of the plane she was on during her domestic flight across the country.
The resilient critter apparently survived the three-hour trip as it possibly withstood freezing temperatures and lower air pressure by being at the window while the plane was up in the air.
Unbelievable, A passenger who didn't buy a plane ticket.😎
— Sharing Travel (@TripInChina) August 17, 2023
It finally succeeded in reaching its destination.
Cockroaches are the most powerful creatures on earth. pic.twitter.com/agijdytV6V
Turned around to see cockroach
According to Chinese media, the passenger, surnamed Guo, relayed her experience online.
She revealed that she was aboard a flight from Xishuangbanna, in the Yunnan province, to Ningbo on Aug. 16.
She only took notice of the cockroach when she turned her head to look out of the window.
“I suddenly turned around, and there was a cockroach,” she said.
The cockroach's feelers, legs, and abdomen were clearly visible.
It was also seen moving and alive.
It appeared to have been clinging on to the glass window, but did not appear to have been outside of the plane.
The startled passenger said in another interview: “I never expected to see a cockroach on the plane.”
Amusing sight
But she found the sight of the insect surviving amazing and observed it throughout the journey.
“I thought it was quite entertaining, so I kept watching it,” she added.
“It stayed there throughout the journey from Xishuangbanna to Ningbo. I thought it would disappear after two minutes, so I didn’t inform the flight attendants," she also said.
"But to my surprise, it was still there even after flying 3,000km. However, I couldn’t tell if it was on the outside of the window or in between the two windows,” Guo explained.
Cockroach lodged between two layers of glass
It has since been reported that the cockroach was lodged in between the aircraft’s window and an inner lining.
The insect could have possibly crawled in between the layers of the window from a passenger's luggage or cargo, a local reporter in China found out after contacting the airline on Aug. 18.
Airline officials addressed the hygiene and flight safety concerns raised by this incident, and said it would take the matter seriously and conduct further investigations into the aircraft’s cleanliness.
It was further reported that the airline had already inspected the plane and confirmed that the cabin window is intact and free from defects, and posed no threat to flight safety.
Additionally, regular disinfection procedures will be carried out.
Top photos via @TripInChina Twitter