An Alaska Airlines flight from San Francisco to Jackson Hole was diverted to another airport due to the pilot’s lack of qualifications, which he informed passengers of.
“Hey, I’m really sorry, but since I don’t have the proper qualification to land in Jackson Hole, we have to divert to Salt Lake City, Utah. We’ll keep you informed of the next steps,” he reportedly told passengers, according to BFM TV on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the American airline’s flight operated by its regional partner SkyWest to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was diverted to Salt Lake City because the pilot did not have the required qualifications for the destination airport.
The plane, which landed hard, remained on the tarmac for more than an hour before another pilot took over to continue the flight to Jackson Hole Airport, according to a passenger who relayed the story on the social network Reddit.
Located at an altitude of almost 2,000 m, it is visibly difficult to land at Jackson Hole airport, especially since it is surrounded by mountains and the weather conditions are often complicated, which requires specific training for pilots.
“SkyWest Airlines Flight 3491, operating as Alaska Airlines from San Francisco to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, landed briefly in Salt Lake City to correct a crew-related administrative error,” SkyWest management said in a statement.
“All pilots involved were qualified to fly and land the aircraft; the flight was diverted from Jackson Hole due to an internal administrative error and out of an abundance of caution,” the airline said in a statement, reported by BFM TV.
