Flames licking around the wings of your plane is literally the last thing anyone wants to see on a flight, but that terrifying scene is exactly what passengers on an internal Canadian trip witnessed on Tuesday.
The incident was sparked after the Swoop airline flight from Abbotsford to Edmonton ran into a flock of geese shortly after take off, and several unfortunate birds were sucked into one of the plane’s engines.
The pilot of the Boeing 737 was forced to declare an emergency and turn the jet back towards Abbotsford.
Meanwhile, passengers in the cabin witnessed the terrifying sight of a series of fireballs erupting around the aircraft’s wing. One passenger even managed to capture footage of the alarming incident.
“We hit bumps – it felt like speed bumps,” one of the passengers, Bruce Mason, told CTV News. “The lights would come off and on. Over at the window seat, they start yelling, ‘Fire! Fire!’”
A spokesperson for Swoop said that the aircraft is undergoing repairs and is expected to return to service this evening.
“Safety is our number one priority and will always be at the forefront of our decision making. We apologize for the inconvenience to our impacted travellers,” the discount airline said.
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