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A WestJet Boeing 737-800 was involved in a dramatic incident at Sint Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) on Monday afternoon after its right main landing gear collapsed during landing. The accident forced a full runway closure, multiple flight diversions, and emergency response efforts on the ground.
WestJet flight WS2276 from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) was landing when the incident unfolded. The 16-year-old Boeing 737-800 touched down on the runway and upon landing the right main landing gear failed. This caused the aircraft to tilt sharply and skid along the runway. The flight crew managed to maintain control and brought the plane to a complete stop on its nose gear, left main gear, and right engine nacelle.
Once the aircraft stopped, emergency slides were deployed and all 164 passengers and six crew members safely evacuated the aircraft. According to WestJet, there were no reported injuries. The cause of the landing gear failure remains unknown. Videos taken by bystanders show passengers sliding to safety as fire and rescue vehicles surround the aircraft and spray foam around the fuselage and engines as a precaution. WestJet released this statement:
WestJet flight 2276, operating from Toronto, experienced a hard landing upon arrival at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) at 17:29 UTC today.
Emergency services responded immediately, deploying foam as a precaution. The aircraft’s slides were activated, and all guests and crew safely evacuated and were transported to the terminal. All guests are accounted for and there are no reported injuries.
At this time, we are awaiting confirmation on the exact nature of the incident. Our teams are focused on supporting our guests and crew, ensuring their safety and care remain our highest priority.
WestJet is fully cooperating with local authorities and will provide additional updates as more information is available.”
The collapse forced the only runway at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) to close. This effectively halted all flight. Several inbound flights were either canceled or diverted, including a Delta Air Lines flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and a JetBlue Airways flight from New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Additionally, KLM flight KL777 to Port of Spain’s Piarco International Airport (POS) and American Airlines flight AA456 to Miami International Airport (MIA) were unable to depart. Airport authorities have not provided a timeline for when the runway will reopen.
Anthony’s Take: Thankfully, no one was injured. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the runway to reopen.
(Featured Image Credit: @aviationbrk via X.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
