“Hey, I'm really sorry”: After takeoff, a plane pilot tells passengers he's not qualified enough to land

On August 8, 2024, a flight from San Francisco to Jackson Hole was diverted to Salt Lake City because the pilot indicated he was not qualified to land.

An Alaska Airlines flight, recently known for the mishap involving the door torn off a Boeing, went badly on August 8. While the plane had taken off from San Francisco and was supposed to go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the United States, had to be diverted to Salt Lake City, indicates BFMTV.

“I don't have the proper qualification to land”

This change of destination comes after the pilot told the passengers of the plane that he was not qualified enough to be able to land.”“Hey, I'm really sorry, but since I don't have the proper qualification to land in Jackson Hole, we need to divert to Salt Lake City, Utah. We will keep you posted on the next steps”, he said.

Landing at Jackson Hole is not easy because the airport is located 6,500 feet (nearly 2,000 meters) above sea level. The surrounding mountains and the weather conditions in this area require pilots to have specific training, which was not the case for the pilot of this plane.

But there again, arriving in Salt Lake City, the landing was not easy, since it was reportedly rough, according to the passengers. The plane was grounded on the tarmac for nearly an hour while a new pilot took control.

“SkyWest Airlines Flight 3491 [regional partner], operating as Alaska Airlines from San Francisco to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, landed briefly in Salt Lake City to correct a crew-related administrative error. “We apologize to customers for the inconvenience and are conducting an internal review to ensure a similar situation does not occur in the future,” SkyWest said.