A regional jet operated by Alaska Airlines/SkyWest
that departed San Francisco last week could not land in Jackson Hole because
the pilot was not certified to land there. He made the revelation during
the flight, and it had to be diverted to Salt Lake City. The flight landed
safely before a replacement pilot was found, who continued the original flight
plan to Jackson Hole, albeit three hours late.
SkyWest told a Wyoming newspaper it was a
clerical error.
"[Flight 3491] landed for a short
time in Salt Lake City to correct a paperwork error related to the flight
crew," the airline said in the statement. "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."
The pilot in question did make an
announcement to the passengers.
"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. We'll keep you posted on the next steps," wrote
one user who claimed to be on the flight, posting on Reddit and quoting the
pilot.
Jackson Hole Airport Director Jim Elwood said
each individual airline has its own training programs and pilot
certification protocol.
SkyWest serves
several larger carriers.
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