They say that flying is safer than driving. But you wouldn't know it these days with all of the plane horror stories like that plane crash in Brazil that killed 62. Of course, passengers can take comfort that they're in safe hands, right? After all, pilots are there to guide the plane safely to the ground.
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What's that you say? The pilot doesn't know how to land the plane?! Did they only complete half of their flight training? That's like knowing how to drive but not knowing how to stop. Well, that's exactly what allegedly happened on a recent Alaska Airlines flight. The flight was headed from San Francisco to Wyoming. That's when passengers got the shock of a lifetime.
According to View From the Wing, the Alaska Airlines pilot got on the intercom and announced to the passengers that he wasn't qualified to land the plane. Imagine for a moment the panic that must have set in for the passengers. I definitely would have been seeing my life flash before my eyes.
The flight was supposed to land in Jackson Hole. But instead, the plane landed in Salt Lake City because the pilot couldn't land in Wyoming.
Pilot Can't Land Flight
"Hey, I'm really sorry folks but due to me not having the proper qualification to land in Jackson Hole, we need to divert to Salt Lake City, Utah," their pilot said. "I'm not qualified to land this flight. We'll keep you posted on the next steps."
From there, the airline found a replacement pilot after sitting on the tarmac for an hour and half. They then flew to their original destination, but the landing was reportedly bumpy. Elevation may have played a role. Jackson Hole is at an elevation of over 6,500 feet. It's also surrounded by mountains.
SkyWest Airlines later released a statement.
They wrote, "On Thursday, Aug. 8, SkyWest Airlines flight 3491, operating as Alaska Airlines from San Fransisco to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, landed for a short time in Salt Lake City to correct a paperwork error related to the flight crew. The flight continued to Jackson Hole after a delay while a new pilot was secured to operate the flight. All pilots involved were qualified to fly and land the aircraft; the flight diverted from Jackson Hole due to an internal administrative error and out of abundance of caution. We apologize to customers for the inconvenience and are conducting an internal review to ensure a similar situation does not occur in the future."
