Stowaway Rat In Cockpit Cancels Alaska Airlines Flight

SEATTLE, WA - You've heard of pizza rat, now meet plane rat.

A rodent appeared in the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines flight scheduled to fly Tuesday morning from Oakland, Calif., to Portland, Ore. The plane was full when the critter was discovered, and all 110 passengers had to get off and find alternate travel plans.

Alaska Airlines told the East Bay Times that the plane had to be thoroughly inspected by an exterminator before it could go back into service. The airline also wanted to make sure the plane wasn't damaged by plane rat or any of its relatives.

"[The plane] will be returned to operations once it’s certified rodent-free by a professional exterminator. The aircraft will also be thoroughly inspected to ensure no damage has been done," a spokeswoman for the Seattle-based airline told the newspaper.

Although not common, rats have grounded flights in the past. In August, a flight from New Delhi to San Francisco was delayed for 9 hours due when a rat was spotted onboard. Other rodents have grounded flights, too. In March, a mouse grounded a British Airways flight from London to San Francisco.

Image courtesy Alaska Airlines