The next time you fly American Airline’s friendly skies, you might want to bring a mouse trap.

An American Airline plane grounded at the Kansas City International airport had “anywhere to 900 to 1,000” mice infesting it, according to a whistleblower. Feces was found strewn about the carpet, nests filled the air ducts, and the hungry vermin had chewed through wires and oxygen masks.

Yet, until anonymous calls reached the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hotline and a hidden camera video leaked a Kansas news station, the American Airlines did not address the infestation.

According to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, airlines need only report rodents if they interfere with the plane’s mechanics.

Above right is a still from the undercover video. The highlighted portion illustrates a pile of mice poo.

Reportedly, the plane, N320, has since been made over, and according to aviation expert Mel Burkhardt, “it’s probably now the cleanest, safest airplane in the fleet.”

UPDATE: Gimlet eyed Doug points out that KDSK has the plane’s registration wrong. N320 is listed as a 4-seater LANCAIR 320. When it’s owner decided to buy an “experimental” aircraft, we doubt rodent tests were what he had in mind.

“Hidden Camera Video Shows Mice On Airplane” [KSDK] (Thanks to Jpacooney!)

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