Dog Bites Two, Triggers Emergency Landing

by  Molly Fergus | Dec 7, 2010
Dog in the airline pet carrier
Dog in the airline pet carrier / humonia/iStock

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The animal kingdom must have a vendetta against the airline business. In October, a plane crash survivor blamed an escaped crocodile for a jet’s mysterious plummet from the skies above the Congo; that same month, officials at the Denver International Airport accused rascally rabbits of chomping on soy-based car parts in its Pikes Peak Shuttle parking lot; and yesterday, a Manchester Terrier who bit two people onboard a US Airways flight from Newark to Phoenix convinced the pilot to make an emergency pit stop in Pittsburgh.

The pooch – a 12-pound dog named Mandy, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – was let loose from her carrier mid-flight and bit one passenger and one flight attendant. Although the bites were minor, the pilot decided to land and find medical attention for the two victims.

Reportedly, the approved pet carrier wasn't strong enough for the dog; she escaped, started barking and ran up and down the plane's aisle. When a passenger tried to calm Mandy down, the dog became angrier and fought back against the flyer and the flight attendant who stepped in to remedy the situation.

After the two bite victims received treatment at Pittsburgh International Airport, the plane continued on to Phoenix; police gave Mandy and her 89-year-old owner lunch, outfitted the pup with a stronger pet carrier, and sent the two on a later flight.

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