Sun-bound travellers grounded after Westjet plane 'makes contact' with vehicle at YVR
Plane taken out of service following incident
Passengers looking forward to some fun in the sun were delayed for hours after a Westjet plane bound for Palm Springs reversed into a catering truck on the tarmac at YVR Thursday morning.
"During pushback from its gate, WestJet flight 1722 from Vancouver to Palm Springs made contact with a catering vehicle," said a statement from Morgan Bell, a Westjet media representative.
Passengers take to social media
Passenger @SunshineSucks took to Twitter, complaining about the flight being cancelled because the pilot drove 'into a truck on the tarmac."
Oh my <a href="https://twitter.com/WestJet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WestJet</a> flight got canceled because our pilot wrecked the plane by driving into a truck on the tarmac. On the upside, I’m not in the air on a plane piloted by a pilot so incompetent he totaled a plane by taxiing into a truck.
—@SunshineSucksWestjet responded to the tweet saying the aircraft was under the control of its contracted ground crew at the time of the incident.
Passengers and crew returned to the gate and were offloaded, while arrangements were being made to secure another plane.
Earlier in the day @mattgolfLAB tweeted he was looking forward to some quality family time and warmth, but an hour later tweeted "Who backs a plane into something at an airport?"
Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/WestJet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WestJet</a> what’s the game plan?? For a full fight to Palm Springs. <a href="https://twitter.com/yvrairport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@yvrairport</a> doesn’t know how to push a plane back so flight is not happening. Who backs a plane into something at an airport?
—@mattgolfLABWestjet says pilot error wasn't an issue, because a pushback crew and tug were deployed to move the plane in reverse.
"We sincerely apologize for the delay and any inconvenience this may have caused our guests and are working to get them on their way as soon as possible," said the statement.
Plane taken out of service
A spokesperson for YVR said the plane has been taken out of service.
The flight departed at 1:05 pm PT, over three-and-a-half hours after its scheduled time.