United Airlines Scorpion Scare: Flight Delayed After Stinging Insect Found Inside Plane

A United Airlines flight was delayed for hours Thursday evening at George Bush Intercontinental Airport after a scorpion was spotted on board the plane. According to reports, the stinging insect had crawled out from a passenger’s clothes.

“Houston to Quito flight 1035 returned to the gate after a scorpion reportedly emerged from a customer’s clothing,” a statement from the airline to local network KPRC2 read. “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.”

This is not the first incident where a scorpion was found on board a United Airlines plane. In April, a United passenger was stung by a scorpion, according to the Washington Post. The creature fell from an overhead compartment and landed in a man’s hair.

Read: How Much Money Will David Dao Make From United Airlines?

United Airlines had found itself surrounded by controversy since the high-profile case in which a passenger, named David Dao, was dragged off a flight by aviation police April 9, leaving him with a concussion and two broken teeth.

Here is a list of some of the other recent controversies:

1. United Airlines cancels man's flight: A video surfaced Thursday of an airline employee canceling a man’s flight from New Orleans to San Francisco for recording a heated exchange over his baggage. The man who was reportedly forced to pay for another ticket home on a different carrier. In the 13-minute video, posted by Fremont, California resident Navang Oza, the passenger can be heard arguing with an airline employee who canceled his flight. The airline has since issued a public apology to the man .

2. Woman forced to pee in a cup during United Airlines flight: On Thursday, a woman claimed she was forced to urinate in a cup because United Airlines flight attendants told her she couldn't leave her seat while the "fasten seatbelt" sign was turned on. The incident reportedly took place in April. “Customer safety is always our first priority,” United Airlines told International Business Times in a statement responding to the incident. “Initial reports from the Mesa Airlines flight attendants indicate that Ms. Harper attempted to visit the lavatory on descent and was instructed to remain seated with the seat belt fastened per FAA regulations. At no point during the flight did flight attendants suggest that Ms. Harper use cups instead of the lavatory. We have reached out to Ms. Harper to better understand what occurred and we continue to review what happened.”

3. Rabbit dies on United Airlines plane: Simon, a 10-month-old Continental Giant rabbit, died on a United flight from the U.K. to the U.S. The bunny's breeder Annette Edwards said it was healthy prior to boarding the plane. Following the incident, PETA’s president, Ingrid Newkirk, issued a statement saying: “This rabbit was failed first by the breeder – who churns out and sells baby bunnies when animal shelters and rescue groups are full of homeless rabbits – and then by United Airlines, which shipped him off in a cargo hold like an old suitcase.”

4. A woman was flown 3,000 miles in the wrong direction: Lucie Bahetoukilae, who only speaks French and is not conversant in English, ended up in San Francisco instead of Paris after the airline failed to notify the passenger of a gate change and sent her on a 3,000-mile flight in the wrong direction.

5. A couple flying to their Costa Rica wedding removed from United Airlines plane: An engaged couple flying on a United Airlines plane from Houston to Costa Rica for their wedding alleged they were emoved from the flight by a federal law enforcement officer in April. United Airlines said the couple tried to sit in an upgraded seat "repeatedly" and they "wouldn't follow crew instructions." The airline said in a statement to People: "We’re disappointed anytime a customer has an experience that doesn’t measure up to their expectations. These passengers repeatedly attempted to sit in upgraded seating which they did not purchase and they would not follow crew instructions to return to their assigned seats. We’ve been in touch with them and have rebooked them on flights tomorrow."