Plane passenger packed her old fourth-grade project in her suitcase — what TSA saw on the scanner shut down the checkpoint for 20 minutes
Airport security officers have seen just about everything travelers can pack into a suitcase. However, one woman says her childhood school project still managed to bring a TSA checkpoint to a standstill. Instagram creator Ryann "Ry" Mason, who goes by @chronically_ry, shared the hilarious travel mishap in a reel posted on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Appearing confused and shocked, she confessed that her security check at the Roanoke Airport took an unexpected turn, and users can't get enough of this story.
Mason revealed she may have accidentally shut down the TSA checkpoint at Virginia's Roanoke Airport for about 20 minutes. She mentioned that she packed a ceramic cast of her foot inside her luggage. The cast, which she and a friend made in the fourth grade for a school project about Chinese foot binding, was tucked inside a slipper in her suitcase. The traveler even showed the prop in her video, and it looked remarkably like a real human foot, making it easy to understand why security officers wanted to take a closer look. Laughing about the ordeal, she explained that she wanted to bring the keepsake home but hadn't considered how it would appear after being scanned.
The unexpected discovery prompted authorities to conduct a thorough check for the next few minutes, leading to her public apology in her video. In the caption, she wrote, "Well, that was a new experience! Shout out to the officer who hung out with us until the situation was clear and to all the TSA staff who had to encounter the foot in question." She ended the post by joking, "Just another day in my life." Her hilarious airport experience left viewers laughing. Some of them said it totally matched Mason's personality. @bethanymanas wrote, "You would find the most obscure thing possible to bring home with you through the airport. It probably didn’t help that it looks like you skinned someone and kept their foot as a souvenir." @unbrokenwave commented, "This is the most Ry thing ever." @jenna_shinn57 remarked, "You’re going to be unforgettable."
Mason's airport mishap shows how unusual items can trigger extra security checks. A 2025 study published in Ergonomics found that airport screening systems sometimes flag harmless objects that appear suspicious on X-ray images, leading officers to inspect luggage more closely. This isn't the first time an airport security check has left a traveler with a memorable story. Previously, a woman was stopped by airport authorities moments after successfully passing through security. The officers unexpectedly ordered a second inspection. She said staff searched her hair bun in front of other passengers for possible "dangerous substances," leaving her feeling embarrassed and questioning why she had been singled out. She later said the experience felt humiliating and believed she may have been targeted because of her race after noticing other women with similar hairstyles were not searched.
For more interesting content, follow @chronically_ry on Instagram.