A WestJet flight scheduled to fly from Denver, Colorado to Calgary, Alberta on Thursday (18th) failed to take off, presumably due to a tire blowout. According to CTV, WestJet confirmed that flight WS1571 was forced to abort its departure due to an “incident” at Denver International Airport.
The airline stated, “The crew responded swiftly and strictly followed established procedures, declared a state of emergency, and rescue teams arrived at the scene immediately to handle the situation.” A Denver International Airport spokesperson confirmed to CTV that the incident involved a WestJet aircraft that occurred at 12:30 p.m. on Runway 8.
Airport spokesperson Ashley Forest said, “The passengers were subsequently taken back to the terminal by shuttle bus.” Footage from the scene shows that two tires of the passenger plane parked on the runway had burst.
In a recording of the tower conversation obtained by NBC News, the control tower can be heard informing the cockpit: “It looks like both landing gear tires on the left side have burst, and the tires are completely gone.”
When the crew asked if the aircraft had landed on its wheel hubs, the control tower replied, “That’s right, both tires on your left main landing gear have burst.”
WestJet stated that it has aided affected passengers and is rescheduling their travel plans as soon as possible. “All passengers have disembarked safely and have been returned to the terminal,” WestJet added.