An arriving airplane with an engine on fire had emergency crews throughout the area rushing to Kelowna International Airport on the afternoon of March 2.
The fire was successfully put out while the plane was still in the air. It was a scheduled flight from Kamloops to Calgary, diverted to Kelowna, on a Dash-Q400 WestJet craft.
Philip Elchitz, senior manager of airport operations, said the diversion is called an “engine out” procedure.
It was initially reported around 3:40p.m.
The plane landed safely at 4:20p.m. Emergency crews report that there was no visible flame, though there was some charring.
There were 80 people on board, and the commercial plane was carrying approximately 4,400 lbs of fuel.
There were no injuries.
Denise Kenny with WestJet, said its Encore flight 3252 travelling from Kamloops to Calgary had 75 passengers on board and due to the mechanical issue the plane had to safely be diverted to Kelowna International Airport.
The crew followed standard safety procedures, according to Kenny and all impacted guests were re-accommodated on the next available flight to Calgary.
“We sincerely apologize to our guests for this inconvenience the diversion has caused and appreciate their patience and understanding as we worked to get them on their way as soon as possible,” said Kenny.
An aircraft en route from Kamloops to Calgary was diverted to Kelowna after experiencing a mechanical issue according to officials at YLW. pic.twitter.com/SQLjgq9pi3
— Gary Barnes (@GaryBarnes109) March 3, 2023
Emergency crews have stood down and the airport has now resumed normal operations.
@JakeC_16
Jake.courtepatte@kelownacapnews.com
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