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WestJet plane bound for Terrace, B.C. diverts to Prince George

Landing gear problem led to the diversion decision

A WestJet plane coming from Vancouver bound for Terrace was diverted to Prince George after its landing gear wasn't operating properly this morning.

WestJet spokesperson Lauren Stewart said the weather here was not that good so the pilots decided to divert because they knew they would have to go through their checklist for the landing gear problem and often they will do a flyby of the air traffic control tower so the controllers inside can visually check with binoculars or not to see whether the landing gear is out.

"They wanted to make sure it was clear and the weather was a little bit better," she said about why they went to Prince George where air traffic controllers could see the landing gear better on a flyby.

The plane circled the Prince George airport twice before making a successful landing.

There were about 40 passengers and four crew members on-board.

Passengers were flown back to Vancouver and then put on the next available flight to Terrace.

Northwest Regional Airport manager Carman Hendry said the emergency crews here, including the new firefighters stationed at the airport, could've handled the emergency had the crew chosen to land the plane here as scheduled.

The procedure is to standby with fire trucks and the city's fire department would be asked to come up to assist, he added.

Since the airport has had its own firefighters, there has been about three or four situations here where emergency crews had stood by.