The absolutely last thing anyone wants to see on a flight would be the flames licking around the wings of your plane, but that is exactly what the passengers on a domestic Canadian flight witnessed on Tuesday.
The incident happened 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.
“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 travelers,” the discount airline said.
