Several airplane and airport-related incidents have happened over the last several months. But this latest one, involving a pilot for Alaska Airlines, may without a doubt be the scariest.
According to a report from Fox News, Alaska Airlines/SkyWest flight 3491 was flying into Jackson Hole Airport. That’s when the aircraft appeared to be in grave danger. That is because the pilot said that he was unable to land.
Alaska Airlines Flight Forced to Land Due to an Unqualified Pilot
“Alaska Airlines/SkyWest flight 3491 was approaching JAC in Wyoming on Thursday when the pilot reported from the cockpit that he was unable to land, the Cowboy State Daily reports, citing a Reddit user who claimed to be on the flight,” Fox writes.
“The plane, a twin-jet Embraer ERJ 175, then diverted to Salt Lake City, where it landed safely, according to FlightAware. Another pilot then replaced the unqualified pilot before taking off and landing in Jackson Hole at 2:55 p.m. More than three hours later than its scheduled landing time of 11:44 a.m. The flight originated in San Francisco.”
Airline Says Forced Landing Was Due to ‘Paperwork Error’
The consensus question for many is how the pilot was able to make it as far as he did without being qualified to land the plane. Following the incident the airline released a statement saying that the flight was forced to land due to a “paperwork error.”
“[Flight 3491] landed for a short time in Salt Lake City to correct a paperwork error related to the flight crew,” the statement reads.
“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 an abundance of caution.”