Mysterious Unattended Plane Unleashes Chaos and Curiosity Inside Airport Terminal

Ever catch yourself feeling sorry for an inanimate object—say, your phone after you drop it on the floor, or maybe a vending machine that always gets smacked around for no good reason? Well, what about a tiny plane, lost and trembling across the terminal like a skittish puppy at O’Hare Airport? I mean, at what point do we stop and ask: “Hey, has anyone checked in on that poor little Cessna’s feelings today?” Watching a two-seater aircraft clumsily try to paw its way through a glass window? That’s an emotional rollercoaster even Pixar couldn’t conjure up . I’ll admit, I wasn’t ready for a story that would have me rooting so hard for an airplane with an existential crisis . Wings flapping, nose pressed against the pane—doesn’t that just tug at something deep and empathetic inside you? Or maybe I just need more coffee . Either way, this is the kind of offbeat airport drama that makes you question whether we’re really the evolved species here . LEARN MORE

CHICAGO—Expressing concern that the small aircraft was going to accidentally hurt itself in its panic, passengers at O’Hare International Airport gate C20 were reportedly saddened Wednesday to see a poor frightened plane loose inside the airport. “It just breaks my heart to see the little thing taxiing around the terminal,” traveler Dave Weister said of the two-seater Cessna 152 as it repeatedly pressed its nose cone to the window in a fruitless attempt to reach the runway. “I told the gate agent, but she just rolled her eyes and told me to notify security. A bunch of us tried to corral the pitiful plane toward the emergency exit, but it was so scared that every time we got close it flew over our heads. We saw a call sign on its side, so hopefully we’ll be able to identify it and contact the pilot.” At press time, reports confirmed several passenger planes had been grounded as the small plane crisscrossed multiple runways to make its way to the hangar.