The first vacuum toilets were installed on commercial airplanes in 1992 and, in addition to being ridiculously loud, that pneumatic vacuum sucks everything that’s dropped into the bowl into the plane’s 200 gallon holding tank.
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After forgetting he had the ammunition in his luggage, the pilot initially put the bullets in a garbage can, an official with knowledge of the investigation said.
A captain aboard a United Airlines flight is in hot water after throwing bullets into a trash bin aboard a flight and eventually flushing them down the toilet.
According to The Aviation Herald, a passenger had lost her ring and a flight attendant assisting in the search discovered the bullets in the trash can.
The freakish incident caused panic among some passengers inboard the flight from Houston to Munich. Due to the threat and fear of terrorism attacks, pilots are actually allowed to carry weapons in the United States.
Both flights are grounded and the spokesperson says all other airport operations are as normal.
A United Airlines spokeswoman said in a statement that Flight 1597 from San Juan to Washington encountered turbulence shortly before landing.
“Gun laws in Germany are very strict and very restrictive, so I’m sure the pilot realized at some point he would not be able to clear customs in Germany with that ammunition in his carry-on”, said Matthew Horace, an ex- agent in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The TSA is also investigating the incident.
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