REGINA – Lindsay Waters was 20 minutes into his flight when an acrid smell assaulted his senses.
“It smelled like wires burning. It just kind of suddenly happened … Then we noticed the plane started to drop altitude,” Waters said while standing in line at the Regina International Airport on Tuesday night.
WestJet flight 475 – from Winnipeg en route to Calgary – made an emergency landing in Regina shortly before 5 p.m. after the pilot experienced problems with the plane’s generator.
According to the Regina Airport Authority’s CEO Jim Hunter, the pilot attempted to restart the generator when a “weird smell” filled the cockpit.
The pilot then declared an emergency and diverted the plane to Regina. Hunter said the Regina fire department, police and paramedics were called to assist, as is customary in emergency situations.
None of the 127 passengers aboard the Boeing 737 were injured.
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Hunter said an airplane’s generator provides power for various things such as flight instruments, lighting and heat.
Three hours later, passengers were still waiting in line at the airport for new boarding passes. Some were to join a later WestJet flight to Calgary, while others were asked to wait until morning.
Many talked on their cell phones, either updating loved ones of the delay or searching for more information.
Some people leaned against their luggage while standing in line, clearly fatigued, while others spoke to each other to pass the time.
Waters and fellow passenger Tanis Hesson recalled their experience.
Hesson said she initially assumed the flight crew was preparing a meal. But it soon became clear the unusual smell was serious. She fixed her attention on a magazine to keep herself occupied, and felt a slight pang of fear when the pilot said the plane had to land.
“I was travelling alone,” Hesson said, before adding she “just kept on reading, hoping everything was OK.”
Waters also said he was nervous.
“Well yeah, sure, you don’t ever want a fire on an airplane,” he explained.
While Waters was happy to be safe, he expressed frustration with the airline’s communications. By 8 p.m., he still was not sure when he would return home to Vancouver.
“I’m glad they got us on the ground, but I just want information,” said Waters, who was to board a connecting flight in Calgary to Vancouver. “They should have people walking up and down this line giving us information.”
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