An airport in St. Maarten is still clearing a WestJet plane from É«É«À² off its runway on Monday after the airline said it made a “hard landing,”Ìýas Canada announced it will lead the investigation into the incident.
There were no injuries but nearly 165 passengers and crew were forced to evacuateÌýWestJet flight 2276 that came into the airport near a popular tourist beach around 1:30 p.m. local time, according to Princess Juliana International Airport. Three people were taken to hospital as a precaution.
BREAKING: CHAOS IN THE CARIBBEAN! WestJet Boeing 737 Crash-Lands at St. Maarten!
Heart-pounding moments just minutes ago at St. Maarten as WestJet Flight WS2276, a Boeing 737-8 (C-GWSR), endured a catastrophic hard landing from É«É«À² (YYZ). The impact was so severe it caused…
— aircraftmaintenancengineer (@airmainengineer)
The airport originally indicated that the runway would reopen around noon Monday Ìýthat crews were still working to clear the area. Officials will then have to complete an inspection before it is ready for takeoff again.Ìý
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Though the details of the incident haven’t been confirmed,ÌýÌýthe slides and foam were deployed. The plane’s right wing was damaged and had to be removed from the runway,Ìýthe airport added.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will deploy a team to the Caribbean island to lead the investigation into the matter, Ìý
The safety board, which is an independent organization that investigates transportation issues, say it “will gather information and assess the occurrence.”
The board’s investigators are not responsible for determine blame or civil or criminal liability, the agency said, noting its sole aim is toÌýpromote transportation safety.
Videos shared online of the plane’s landing and the aftermath appear to show smoke and the plane skidding down the runway, people evacuating using the emergency slides and trucks hosing down the plane.
: More footage of WestJet Boeing 737-800 suffers right landing gear collapse at St. Maarten; airport closed indefinitely
— upuknews (@upuknews1)
The airport is asking people to contact WestJet directly for questions about their flights.Ìý
Kristjan Lautens is a staff reporter, working out of the Star’s
radio room in É«É«À². Reach him via email: klautens@thestar.ca
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