1 miesiąc temu
SALT LAKE CITY- Alaska Airlines (AS) flight AS3491 from San Francisco (SFO) to Jackson Hole (JAC), Wyoming, operated by regional partner Skywest (OO), encountered an unusual situation on August 8, forcing a diversion to Salt Lake City (SLC).
The incident occurred when the pilot announced he lacked the necessary qualifications to land at the destination airport.
Photo: Ian Abbott | FlickrAlaska Airlines Pilot Not Qualified to Land
According to a passenger’s account on Reddit, the flight attendants were preparing for landing when the pilot made an unexpected announcement over the public address system:
“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.”
The Embraer jet landed in Salt Lake City, where passengers waited on the tarmac for approximately 1.5 hours. The original pilot disembarked, described by the passenger as a “walk of shame since his bag was in the overhead in the back of the plane,” and a replacement pilot took over.
Something VERY weird happened on our Alaska flight yesterday: our pilot was unqualified to land??
byu/babecityrecords inAlaskaAirlines
The Reddit user, ‘babecityrecords‘, further detailed: “We then landed in Jackson, but it was perhaps the bumpiest landing in the descent I’ve ever experienced. Overall we landed about 3 hours later than we were supposed to, because of an unqualified pilot?”
The flight was operated by a 9.2-year-old Embraer E175LR, registered as N170SY.
Photo: Alaska AirlinesHow this can Happen?
Jackson Hole airport presents unique challenges due to its high elevation (over 6,500 feet above sea level) and location within the Teton Mountains. The airport’s valley setting contributes to variable weather conditions, leading aviation authorities to set strict “minimums” for landing approaches.
These “minimums” refer to the lowest altitude a pilot can descend during an instrument approach without visual contact with the runway. Airlines and regulators often impose “high minimums” on newer pilots or those lacking specific training for challenging airports.
The diversion likely occurred because deteriorating weather conditions at Jackson Hole exceeded the captain’s authorized minimums. This scenario explains why a replacement pilot was necessary and why the eventual landing was described as “bumpy” by passengers.
Industry expert Gary Leff suggests that a scheduling error is unlikely to be the cause. He states, “Even if the airline made a mistake, along the lines of when American Airlines flew a plane to Hawaii that wasn’t qualified for overwater operations, I fully imagine that the pilot would reject the assignment.”
Leff proposes an alternative explanation: “Perhaps not being qualified wasn’t a formal statement, as much as an expression that the captain didn’t feel confident at the controls in the particular wind scenario that later led to a bumpy landing.”
Photo: By Johnnyw3 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74714583Bottom Line
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not formally reported this incident on its Aviation Accidents and Incidents page. Hope they investigate and find out the actual reason for the diversion.
Well, Alaska Pilots are in the news following past incidents, including a pilot who attempted to shut down one of the engines and tried to crash the aircraft as he was going through mental issues.
What are your thoughts on the Alaska Airlines Pilot incident? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Also Read: US Airlines, Including American, United, Delta, and Southwest, want you to Dress Properly – Aviation A2Z
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News.
Alaska Airlines Pilot Incident Calls FAA for the New Mental Health Reform
The post Wierd: Alaska Airlines Pilot Not Qualified to Land at Destined Airport, Diverts to Another appeared first on Aviation A2Z.
