A Lufthansa pilot unintentionally drew a penis-shaped flight path in the sky last week after being diverted from Catania airport on the Italian island of Sicily to Malta.

The aircraft, an Airbus A321, left Frankfurt, Germany on July 28 on a routine flight to Catania. According to the pilot, he attempted to land twice before the plane's course was diverted. The phallic flight path lasted over 16 minutes to circle the sky off the east coast of Sicily before returning to its original flight path and continuing on to Malta.

Euronews reported the 24-kilometer-long patter was spotted and amused aviation fans on the website FlightRadar24.

Italian local media claimed the pilot was disgruntled for not being able to land in Catania that he drew the penis in the sky before heading to Malta, but officials denied the claims and said the pattern was unintentional.

The Lufthansa flight was not the only one being canceled, delayed, or diverted from Catania, as a fire a few weeks ago forced the airport to close one of its terminals.

SAC, the company managing the airport, has been criticized for its slow response and poor communication with airlines. They said a sudden change in wind was responsible for the diversion behind the phallic flight path incident.

"Other planes also tried to land a first time but had failed so they had to go around and then they managed to do it," SAC told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

Lufthansa also said the wind shear meant it was "not possible to land safely in Catania," according to local newspaper Corriere della Sera. "For this reason, the pilot had to remain in a holding position before once again trying to land which was not successful," the airline added.

'Penis in the Sky' Not the First Time

While the flight pattern was hilarious, it was not the first time pilots drew penises in the sky.

All kinds of planes, whether civilian or military, have been caught tracing penis-shaped flight paths intentionally or unintentionally.

A military helicopter in Malta took a phallic flight path over the island of Comino earlier this year, with FlightRadar24 tweeting a picture of the pattern.

"Meanwhile in Malta..." the caption said.

Maltese military officials told local reporters the flight pattern had been "printed out of context" as the tracking showed the helicopter flying at low altitude and not the entire flight path.

Meanwhile, the US had two famous incidents of military pilots drawing sky penises. One was in 2019 when two US Navy fighter pilots drew a penis over the skies of Washington state.

The other incident was in 2022 when a US Air Force plane accidentally drew a sky penis with its shaft pointing at a Russian base in Syria. The Air Force insisted the incident was unintentional, saying the crew had not "acted inappropriately."

Tags

Sicily, Italy, Penis, Airport, Pilot, Malta, Us, Russia, Syria