US bound aircraft returns to Japan after drunk passenger bites cabin crew

A 55-year-old passenger thought to be American, bit a cabin attendant mid-flight while “heavily drunk,” leaving her with minor injuries, an All Nippon Airways spokesman told the media. The incident forced the plane’s pilots, carrying 159 passengers, to turn back over the Pacific to Haneda airport, where the man was turned over to police, according to ANA. The passenger told investigators that he “doesn’t recall at all” his behavior. Some social media users mockingly compared the occurrence to the “beginning of a zombie movie” when it happened. Others bemoaned the endless list of problems facing Japanese aviation thus far this year, as in less than two weeks, four more mishaps have made news. The most significant occurred on January 2, when a Japan Airlines plane and a smaller Coast Guard plane collided almost catastrophically at Haneda. Just before the JAL Airbus caught fire, all 379 passengers managed to escape. On the smaller aircraft, which was participating in a relief effort following a significant earthquake in central Japan, five out of the six occupants perished. Then, on Tuesday, as the Korean Air aircraft was taxiing at an airfield on the northern island of Hokkaido, its wingtip collided with an empty Cathay Pacific aircraft. According to Korean Air, the mishap occurred because “the third-party ground handler vehicle slipped due to heavy snow.” No injuries were reported in the incident. Similar incident occurred on Sunday at a Chicago airport when an ANA aircraft made “contact” with a Delta Air Lines flight, the Japanese carrier said AFP. This incident did not result in any injuries. After a crack was found on the Boeing 737-800’s cockpit window on Saturday, another ANA flight was reportedly forced to make an emergency landing. (With agency inputs)