KAMLOOPS — Everything is business as usual at Kamloops Airport after a few tense moments for emergency responders.
Kamloops Fire Rescue crews were called to the airport just after 9:00 a.m. after an inbound flight crew reported it was unsure of the status of the plane’s landing gear.
“At 9:05 this morning, a Kelowna Aerospace aircraft notified the NavCanada station that he nose gear of their landing gear had failed to indicate in a locked position,” said Airport Manager Fred Legace. “The aircraft performed an overflight and the gear was observed to be down, but of course, on the ground you can’t tell if it’s locked.”
The plane was carrying cargo, and the only people on board were the two-person flight crew.
Legace says the crew took some time to ensure everything was working fine before finally approaching the runway.
“The aircraft flew out over Kamloops Lake, did a couple of circles out there to get everything set back up again, and then came in for an approach and landing.”
Legace adds, while it may seem like a perilous situation to the lay person, air travel professionals remained calm.
“Although it’s not common, it certainly happens often enough, especially at the time of year when the weather changes, that sensors that detect movement of parts can sometimes freeze in position. Although I don’t know if it happened in this instance, that’s commonly the cause of these things.”
