Passengers were left screaming as an Alaska Airlines flight landed hard in California during Tropical Storm Hilary, with sparks flying along the runway.
One of the terrified travellers managed to film the plane’s arrival into John Wayne Airport in Southern California from Seattle, Washington, on Sunday night (20 August), uploading it to YouTube.
Sparks began to shoot out as the left wing looked as though it was dragging on the ground, and a loud slamming sound could be heard, leading to cries from some on board. Before the impact, one person can be heard shouting on the video: “Why are we going so fast?”
Another said: “There’s sparks outside. Why are there sparks outside?”
There were 106 passengers and six crew members on the flight, reports Fox News. Everybody made it safely off the aircraft with the help of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and no injuries were reported.
John Wayne Airport confirmed the incident on its Twitter/X account.
Alaska Airlines told Fox News that the Boeing 737 “experienced an issue soon after landing” during the storm and was “unable to taxi to the gate due to an issue with its landing gear”.
“Our focus is taking care of our guests who were on board, including retrieving their checked bags. We apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate their patience during this situation,” it said in a statement.
“The safety of our guests and employees is always our primary priority. This incident is a rare occurrence, our flight crews train extensively to safely manage through many scenarios.”
The Independent has contacted the airline for further comment.
OCFA said that they were called to the airport “amid the rain and wind” to assist the plane with “an issue while taxiing to the gate after landing.”
“Fortunately, no one was injured,” they said. “They were however stranded. Firefighters worked with airport staff and the pilots to safely get everyone off the plane.”
