An Alaska Airlines/SkyWest regional jet departing from San Francisco last week was unable to land in Jackson Hole because the pilot did not have clearance to land there. He made this clear during the flight and the flight had to be diverted to Salt Lake City. The flight landed safely before a replacement pilot was found to continue the original flight plan to Jackson Hole, albeit three hours late.
SkyWest told a Wyoming newspaper that it was a typo.
“(Flight 3491) briefly landed in Salt Lake City to correct a paperwork error regarding the flight crew,” the airline’s statement said. “The flight continued to Jackson Hole after a delay while a new pilot was sought for the flight. All pilots involved were qualified to fly and land the aircraft; the flight was diverted from Jackson Hole due to an internal administrative error and out of an abundance of caution.”
The pilot in question made an announcement to the passengers.
“Hey, I’m really sorry guys, but since I don’t have the proper clearances to land in Jackson Hole, we’ll have to divert to Salt Lake City, Utah. We’ll keep you updated on next steps,” a user who claimed to have been on the flight wrote on Reddit, quoting the pilot.
Jim Elwood, director of Jackson Hole Airport, said each individual airline has its own training programs and pilot certification protocols.
SkyWest serves several major airlines.
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