Sunwing passenger recounts moments after pilot shuts down engine mid-air
A Toronto passenger said her Sunwing Airlines flight was unforgettable as she recounted the moments after the pilot shut down the plane’s engine mid-flight to Montego Bay on Friday.
Sarah-Anne Finn, a traveller from Toronto, told CTV News Toronto an announcement aired over the intercom less than an hour after take off.
“It was just something you don’t really forget,” she said.
The pilots informed passengers there was a mechanical issue involving the engine, and as a result they would have to return to Toronto.
“They told us it was going to be a bumpy landing,” Finn said. “At that point, we realized something more serious was going on.”
Sunwing told CTV News Toronto that one of the plane’s engines shut down mid-air due to low oil pressure. To triage, the pilot switched off one of the plane’s two engines.
“Kudos to our pilot,” Finn said, noting the flight’s safe landing in Toronto and the crew’s emergency actions in an unpredictable situation.
As they touched down, fire trucks and emergency vehicles met the plane on the ground, Finn said.
Sunwing said the plane was investigated by a maintenance crew while a new aircraft was prepared to bring the passengers to Montego Bay later that day.
A Sunwing flight was forced to return to Toronto on Jan. 27 after experiencing mechanical issues (Supplied). But after landing in Toronto, Finn said passengers were “left in the dark” when it came to receiving written communication from the airline. After landing at Pearson, she said some of the airport's employees were shepherding the passengers through the airport, but “no one really knew what was going on.”
Finn said she went through customs, waited over an hour for her luggage at the carousel and checked her bags in again before boarding a new plane around 5 p.m.
CTV News Toronto asked Sunwing about Finn’s claims regarding limited written communication with customers. In response, the airline thanked customers for their patience and understanding during the unforeseen situation.
“The safety and security of our passengers and employees is our top priority at Sunwing Airlines,” a spokesperson said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.