An exasperated Lufthansa pilot reportedly drew a phallic-shaped flight path off the coast of the Italian island of Sicily before diverting to nearby Malta, according to multiple media reports after photos depicting the plane’s flight path went viral.
Lufthansa flight LH306 departed Frankfurt bound for Catania on July 28, but an initial attempt to land the Airbus A321 aircraft had to be abandoned, and the plane continued off the Italian coast.
At this point, it appears as if the pilots, perhaps frustrated by not being able to land in Catania, draw a penis shape in the sky before diverting to Malta, where the aircraft was able to land on the first attempt.
The truth, however, isn’t quite so rude.
After discontinuing the first approach to Catania, the pilots went into a standard holding pattern off the coast of Sicily, drawing a figure of eight shape before flying southwards and then turning back north to attempt a second landing at Catania Airport.
Unfortunately, wind shear in the area prevented the pilots from landing in Catania on the second attempt so the aircraft diverted to Malta, where it landed without incident a short time later.
After a delay of a couple of hours on the ground in Malta, the plane was able to continue onto Catania, where it landed on the first attempt.
As a Lufthansa spokesperson told the German publication Bild: “Due to shear winds it was not possible for the crew to carry out the landing.”
“Therefore, the captain flew a holding pattern and tried the approach again. This attempt was also unsuccessful,” the statement continued.
So while there have been plenty of examples of pilots drawing shapes in the sky for flight-tracking apps, this isn’t one of them.
