April 9, 2025 • 47 mins
Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten is one of the world's most challenging and famous landing approaches. Discover how a routine landing turned perilous when multiple factors aligned against an experienced flight crew.
Sources:
Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigation report
Christine Negroni's aviation blog
Wikipedia page on WestJet Flight 2652
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Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
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Credits:
Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Picture this, a commercial airlinerjust 40 feet above the churning
(00:06):
Caribbean sea with no runway in sight.
Through sheets of rain, passengerscan see only waves where concrete
should be in the cockpit.
Alarm systems blare.
As the pilots realize they are dangerouslyoff course and sinking towards the water.
(00:26):
With just seconds to react,they must make a decision or 164
lives will be lost in an instant.
Today we are boarding flightWestJet, flight 2 6 5 2 to explore
what happens when the line betweena routine landing and disaster is
(00:47):
measured in mere seconds and feet.
So stow your tray tables, fastenyour seat belts, and prepare for
some extreme turbulence becausethis is final boarding call
hello and welcome to Final Boarding Call.
I'm your disaster obsessed host, Alice.
(01:10):
And as always, I am joined by myhandsome homebody husband, Zach.
Hello.
It's me.
We are here to share anotheraviation story with you.
But before we dive in, a quick reminderto our listeners, please rate, review, and
subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
(01:30):
My sources for this episode includethe Official Transportation Safety
Board of Canada Investigation report.
That was some light reading newsarticles from various outlets, including
Christine Negroni's Aviation blog,as well as some firsthand accounts
from passengers and witnesses.
(01:52):
Okay.
Today we are exploring a dramatic incidentthat occurred at one of the world's most
famous and challenging airports, princessJuliana International Airport in st.
Martin, so this was a near disasterthat was captured on camera, both
(02:14):
from outside of the airplane aswell as footage recorded from
passengers inside of the airplane.
Take your phones out,catch what's going on.
I mean, it's really kind of crazy andyou can tell, I mean, we'll recount
this in the story, but especially the,the woman whose footage is inside of
(02:35):
the plane, you can definitely tellshe's like, what, what, what, what?
The escalation of the distress is real.
This episode also has specialsignificance for Zach and me , do
you wanna tell the people whythis is such a cool, one for us?
Well, the release of this oneis going to be during the time
(02:59):
that we are at this airport.
Correct.
So Zach and I are actually flying into St.
Martin, this exact airport.
And we're so excited aboutthis, and I will tell you why
I at least am so pumped.
I'm a nerd.
But this airport is famous for itsbeachside runway approach where the
(03:22):
aircraft passes just feet over touristheads, but as we'll discover today, those
spectacular approaches can very quicklybecome dangerous when things go wrong.
Disastrous.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
So, before we dive into the detailsof the WestJet incident, let's first
(03:44):
understand what makes the PrincessJuliana International Airport in St.
Martin so unique andchallenging for pilots.
Princess Juliana International Airport,also known as SXM, is famous around the
world for its dramatic runway approach.
The airport sits on a verynarrow strip of land between the
(04:08):
Caribbean sea and a lagoon withget the SZ mountains to the east.
So we've got, we literally havethe sea, a lagoon and mountains.
Like, how, what other obstacle wouldwe like to just throw in there?
(04:28):
It's, see if we can get a jump.
I mean, it's like, geta plane, do a kick flip.
Yes.
It is an insane, airport runway 10.
Which is used for most landings.
And you guys, I am keeping my fingers andtoes crossed that we are on runway 10.
So please, like helpmanifest this with me.
It's used for most landings.
(04:49):
Whoa, stop.
And it begins just a fewdozen meters from Maho Beach.
Literally like the beachends and the runway begins.
It is, straight up beach to runway.
It creates one of the most spectacularplane spotting locations on earth.
(05:14):
So I am going to show Zach a pictureactually, and I'm going to have
him describe to you what he sees.
All right, so we've gotsome acrobats going on here.
It looks like a guy holding up hislady, doing a handstand on his head,
which is quite impressive by itself.
(05:35):
Mm-hmm.
It is.
But they are darn near able to touchthe landing gear of this plane.
Correct.
This is not Photoshopped.
Which just makes what she's doing allthe more ignorant because a smack from
a plane descending into an airport andthey've still gotta be doing 150 miles an
hour by the time their wheels touch down.
(05:56):
Yes.
And this is part of an article called.
Maho beach, the king of close calls.
So that'll give you an ideaof what we're dealing with here.
I want our listeners to picturedaytona Beach, spring break packed
and just airplanes, feet abovethese people , on the beach.
(06:16):
Jump on the googs, check this thing out.
Yeah, this is crazy.
Maho, I think I'm pronouncing it right.
Maho or Maho?
It's MAHO Beach in St.
Martin.
And I will add this, whenZach and I are in St.
Martin, we are luggage and all.
We are absolutely going to this beachand we are hanging out for a couple
(06:36):
minutes so aircraft approachingrunway 10, obviously as we just saw,
must fly extremely low over the water.
Then they clear the beach, then theyclear an 80 bitty little perimeter
fence that's like, oh, that's cute.
I guess it technically separates theairport from the beach before they
(06:57):
touch down on a very short runway.
How about that?
So you got the seep, you gotlagoons, you got mountains.
You've got a , really short runway.
Maybe some sharks with freakinglaser beams attached to their heads.
Freaking laser beams.
Okay.
The unique approach has made Majoor Majo Beach an absolute magnet
for aviation enthusiasts and Taurus.
(07:19):
Thousands gather daily to experiencejets passing just 30 to 60 feet overhead.
Close enough to feel the jet blastsand be blown backwards if you
are standing in the wrong spot.
I think that's the right spot.
I, well, unfortunatelyit killed somebody.
What, so we're gonna, we're gonna touchvery briefly here on an insane know
(07:44):
when to hold them and when to fold them.
It's key.
Yeah.
Well, the jet blast, in 2017caused a tragic accident that
really highlighted the dangers ofthis popular tourist attraction.
A 57-year-old woman from New Zealandwas killed when she was knocked over by
the thrust from an aircraft's engines.
(08:04):
Despite being rushed to the hospital, shedid ultimately die due to head injuries.
This happened despite very clearwarning signs, urging Taurus not
to stand in the path of jet blasts.
Well, now not gonna stand in the, this maynot be our story, but how did it kill her?
(08:25):
Did she just fall over and hit her head?
And they blame that on the jetblast, , yes, as we heard that jet
blasts are so powerful that theywill knock you over and I think it
blew her backwards, flat her, and sheobviously hit her head on something.
I'm a hefty fellow.
It'd be hard pressed to do so to me.
Nope.
Okay, folks.,
don't worry.
Listeners.
Zach will not be standingin the jet blast path.
(08:47):
But this incident did spark very seriousdiscussions about public safety with St.
Martin.
Government Minister.
Christophe Emmanuel.
Even suggesting closing the road at theend of runway 23, such a move would've
dramatically changed the Beach's famousplane spotting culture and potentially
impacted local businesses like thepopular Sunset Bar and Grill where
(09:10):
tourists gathered to watch the planesfor hours while enjoying food and drinks.
That is where Zach and Iwill be getting our lunch.
We land promptly at 1230.
Local time.
It is perfect and drinksand, and get drank.
Um, I don't drink, but Zach does.
. While those proposed closures ultimatelydid not happen, thank goodness the
(09:34):
incident serves really as a soberingreminder that the spectacle of this
beach comes with very real risks.
So stay safe.
Stay out of the thrust blast.
The jet blast.
Yeah.
Stay, stay away from the thrust.
Thrust safely.
Got a blast.
Got a blast, baby.
For those unfamiliar with airport layouts.
(09:56):
Most major international airports haveextensive buffer zones around the runways.
Often thousands of feetof just clear flat land.
This is why it usually takesforever to drive to an airport.
Airport.
They're in the middle ofnowhere and they're super ugly.
It's safety like I think about DenverInternational Airport, which is our
(10:17):
international airport in Colorado,and even if you live in Denver.
It will take you 40 minutes to get to DIA.
Yeah.
You are practically to Kansas.
Correct?
If you go to Denver airport.
Yeah.
And even though Colorado's stunning,Denver International Airport
is like, like people land andthey're like, this is Colorado.
(10:40):
I fool all the way out here for this.
But it's intentional because it's safe.
They, they do this because they have tohave buffers in case anything happens.
At Princess Juliana,there is no buffer zone.
On the approach side, there is just sea.
(11:01):
This means that pilots have to beextraordinarily precise about where
they begin their descent to the runway.
Right?
It is short.
So you cannot be too high because youwill run out of runway, but you also
can't be too low because you're gonnahit the water, because you're gonna
hit the water correct or the beach.
(11:21):
While this creates incrediblephoto opportunities and tourism
revenue, , it also means there'svery little margin for error.
The approach requires pilots tomaintain a precise three degree
glide path to the runway threshold.
Come into high, you risk overshootingthe runway come into low and you
(11:42):
risk what aviation experts call.
Controlled flight into terrain.
What's the terrain in this case?
Water and beach.
So I'm gonna briefly explain what athree degree glide path means, because
that's a term I was not familiar with.
So imagine drawing a straight linefrom the beginning of the runway
(12:03):
up into the sky at a three degreeangle, just a bit steeper than
a typical household staircase.
This invisible line is what aircraftshould follow during their final approach.
It ensures that they will, clear anyobstacles while still touching down
(12:24):
at the right spot on the runway.
Modern airports typically haveelectronic guidance systems
that help pilots stay on path.
But pilots can also fly it visually bymaintaining specific altitude checkpoints
as they get closer to the runway.
Makes sense.
Makes sense.
Did you pass geometry?
'cause I barely did,so I'm gonna be honest.
(12:45):
That was, I did, but that'swhy I am a little confused.
The stairs definitely go upcloser to a, I don't know, 30 or
40 degree angle, I would think.
, I don't know if we have any pilotsthat are listening and you can
describe or explain better whatthe three degree glide path means.
, please do.
(13:05):
Because it's not three degrees.
Like our listeners are gonnapicture three degrees and
they're like,, that's just flat.
Three degrees is just a straight lineessentially, but , it's not at all.
Picture An airplane is goingdown a flight of stairs that
is a three degree glide path.
(13:27):
Despite these challenges, princess JulianaInternational Airport has maintained an
excellent safety record over the decades.
But as we will see with WestJet flight2, 6, 5, 2, even experienced pilots can
find themselves in dangerous situationswhen multiple factors align against them.
Perhaps what's most remarkable aboutthe WestJet incident is that it was
(13:51):
captured by aviation photographerswho were at the beach that day.
Their dramatic images show how closethe Boeing 7 37 came to disaster
photographic evidence that would laterprove crucial to investigators trying
to understand exactly what went wrong.
Let's get to our story.
(14:12):
March 7th, 2017 began as a typicalday for WestJet Flight 2 6 5 2.
The Boeing 7 37 800 aircraftdeparted Toronto Pearson
International Airport in Canada,
oh oh, and it was bound for PrincessJuliana International Airport in St.
(14:35):
Martin.
On board were 158 passengersand six crew members.
The flight crew was highly experienced.
The captain had over 14,000 hours oftotal flight time, which is a ton.
In our last episode, the pilot had11,000, so this is 3000 more than that.
(14:56):
\ , see, we can math.
I had to save myself alittle math fact there.
And three plus two is four, though.
I remember that.
Oh my goodness gracious.
And specifically this captainhad significant experience
flying Boeing seven 30 sevens.
The first officer was similarly qualifiedwith over 12,500 hours of flight time.
(15:20):
Both had flown into PrincessJuliana International Airport
before, though neither would beconsidered a regular on this route.
You know, they're not on a firstname basis in the Starbucks airport.
Okay, give us a moment, folks.
The pit bull is resettling.
If you don't have a houseat though, get you one.
They're so good and also just so annoying.
(15:42):
To put these flying hours intoperspective, 14,000 hours is
equivalent to spending about 1.6
years straight in the air.
Alternatively, it's equivalentto flying eight hours a day, five
days a week for nearly seven years.
It's a lot of years.
I mean, these are, these are experiencedpilots, this is just a really weird
(16:02):
circumstance and a very weird airport.
The flight across the Atlantic was routinewith good weather for most of the journey.
However, as they begin to approach St.
Martin conditions change, aweather system was moving through
the area, bringing scattered rainshowers that reduced visibility.
(16:22):
And this was some pretty intense rain.
, I've watched a lot of videos of thisincident and it was definitely a storm.
It was not just like little rain shower.
According to the Transportation SafetyBoard of Canada investigation, the
flight crew initially planned foran instrument approach to runway 10,
which would allow them to use theirnavigation instruments to guide them
(16:46):
toward the airport until they establishedvisual contact with the runway.
Smart, right?
Because visibility is alittle impacted right now.
This is standard procedure when weatherconditions might affect visibility.
For those who aren't familiar withaviation terminology, let me explain
the difference between a visualapproach and an instrument approach.
(17:06):
So they are very similar to howthey sound a visual approach.
You are literally looking outsideof the windshield if your windshield
is still there and you are lookingfor fist landmarks to guide,
the plane to the runway, right?
I always think about this when I'm flyingand I look out the window, and I wonder
(17:29):
how the pilots know where the airport is.
Do you ever wonder that?
Like when you're up in the air andyou're flying over a huge city like
Denver, for example, and there's.
So many lights and you're like, how?
How does the pilot knowwhich light is our light?
I actually don't get the opportunityto think about that because you
(17:50):
insist on the window seat everytime I'm actually an aisle girl,
yet somehow never had the window.
So basically what we're saying isZach, by default ends up in the middle.
'cause I like sitting next tohim and I always want the aisle
so you never get the window.
Oh boy.
(18:10):
Alright.
Well anyway, that is a visual approach.
An instrument approach, on the otherhand, relies on electronic navigation aids
and the aircraft's instruments to guidepilots precisely along a predetermined
path, even when they can't see the runway.
So this is the difference betweennavigating a car trip, you know,
using landmarks versus GPS directions.
(18:33):
So as these pilots are beginningtheir descent towards St.
Martin, the crew received updatedweather information indicating that
while there were some rain showers inthe area, visibility was still within
acceptable limits for a visual approach.
Based on this information, theyswitched their plan from an instrument
approach to a visual approach, meaningthey would navigate primarily by
(18:55):
looking outside of the aircraft.
I know around 3:45 PM local timeflight 2 6 5 2 was cleared for
the visual approach to runway 10.
At this point, everythingstill seemed very routine.
The aircraft was configured, correctlyon a stable descent path, and the
(19:16):
crew had the airport in sight.
So all very routine.
However, as the Boeing 7 37crossed the coast line and began
its final approach over the water.
It entered an area of significantrainfall within seconds, visibility
deteriorated dramatically.
As I was saying through those videos,I was like, I don't know what these air
(19:39):
traffic control people are saying becausethe videos that I saw, it is like raining.
It's raining, cats and dogs,folks, maybe even chickens.
It might be raining chickens.
So visibility is garbage throughthe rain streaked windshield.
The pilots were struggling to maintainvisual contact with the runway, and
(20:02):
this is where things begin to go wrong.
According to the investigationreport, the pilots misidentified
a hotel to the left of the runway.
As the actual runway.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna read that again.
The pilots misidentified a hotel to theleft of the runway as the actual runway.
(20:30):
The hotel's color, shape, and locationcreated a false visual reference that
led them to believe they were linedup correctly, when in fact they were
drifting left of the proper approach path.
Hmm.
Yeah.
Not a good start.
It's not great.
Visual illusions aresurprisingly common in aviation.
(20:56):
Maybe surprising was the wrong word there.
Maybe alarmingly common isthe word I should have used.
Visual illusions are alarminglycommon in aviation, especially
during challenging approaches.
The human brain, tries to makesense of what the eyes are seeing,
sometimes filling in gaps andmaking incorrect assumptions, right?
(21:16):
So this is what happens when youare walking by a store and you see a
mannequin outta the corner of your eye,and your brain is like, oh, there's
a person, and you like, turn aroundreally quick, and you're like, whoa.
And then it's just a mannequin.
Your brain can make quickinterpretations based on limited
visual information, and thatinterpretation can sometimes be wrong.
(21:39):
It's much better when it's a mannequinand you're not flying a plane.
As flight 2 6 5 2 continuedto descend through the rain.
It was gradually moving below thestandard three degree glide path.
Instead of maintaining approximately320 feet of altitude at one mile
from the runway, the aircraftwas significantly lower.
(22:03):
Can't get much lower than 320 feet.
Oh, it does.
It does.
It shouldn't, but it does.
Trying to become the Titanic.
On the beach.
Aviation photographers noticedsomething was not right.
These aviation photographers are prettyused to like flights coming in pretty low.
(22:24):
Yeah.
Coming in hot and low, how they look.
So if they are noticing thatsomething is not right, that means
that that plane is like low low.
And I'm about to tellyou how low it low it is.
Shorty got low.
The WestJet 7 37 was so low that theycould see its reflection in the water.
(22:49):
I would love for that tobe more dramatic for me.
What does that mean in feet?
Oh, you're just so, okay.
Sorry.
We're gonna get there.
One photographer Christine Garnerraised her camera and captured what
would become crucial evidence of justhow close this flight came to disaster.
(23:10):
At this point, the pilot still had notrealized they were dangerously low, but
the aircraft safety systems were aboutto sound the alarm as WestJet Flight
2 6 5 2 continued its descent towardsPrincess Juliana International Airport.
The situation was rapidly becomingcritical, though the pilots were
(23:31):
still not fully aware of the danger.
According to the Transportation SafetyBoard of Canada investigation, when
the aircraft was approximately 0.6
nautical miles from the runwaythreshold that's about 3,600 feet.
So, you know, in moving aircraftterms, that's not far, not not too
(23:51):
far, but still not at the runway.
This plane had descendedto 63 feet above the water.
Oof, that's very low.
That was very low at this point.
The enhanced ground proximitywarning System, the E-G-P-W-S that
just rolls right off the tongueactivated, triggering an audible,
(24:13):
too low terrain alert in the cockpit.
So that is what the alert says, too.
Low terrain.
This warning was a critical moment.
Modern commercial aircraft areequipped with sophisticated warning
systems that are specifically designedto prevent controlled flight into
terrain accidents, which is good.
So when the E-G-P-W-S issues awarning, pilots are trained to
(24:38):
respond immediately and decisively.
So , this system is really theaircraft's last line of defense
against flying into the ground, orin this case the water accidentally.
If you have a modern car and it doesthat really annoying thing where
like if the car in front of you stopssuddenly and it kind of takes over
(25:01):
and does like a beep beep thing, Ipersonally absolutely hate that feature.
However, that is very similar to theE-G-P-W-S on steroids 'cause it's a plane.
So just like how your car usesradar to do that, detecting the
aircraft does the same thing.
(25:22):
It has a three dimensional mapof the terrain ahead and it uses
radar to figure out where you are.
Commercial aviation accidents havedecreased dramatically since these
systems became mandatory as they providevery crucial warnings when pilots might
not realize that they are in danger.
In this case, the flight crew initiallyseemed confused by the warning.
(25:45):
According to the investigationreport, there was a momentary delay
as they processed what was happening.
Remember, they believed that theywere on the correct approach point
because they had misidentified thehotel to the left of the runway
as their visual reference point.
So they fully believed that they wereheaded in the right direction and
that they were on the right path.
(26:07):
The aircraft continued to dissent bythe time it reached approximately 0.3
nautical miles.
From the runway threshold.
So that's about 1800 feet.
It had descended to a mere 40 feetabove the surface of the Caribbean sea.
(26:29):
So 40 feet is about the heightof a four story building.
The Boeing 7 37 800 is justover 41 feet tall from the
ground to the top of its tail.
So this means that the aircraft wasliterally its own height above the water.
That's too close, way too close.
(26:50):
And at the speed that it was travelingapproximately 140 knots or 161 miles
per hour, it would've taken less thanthree seconds to impact the water.
Wow.
If no action was taken.
Three seconds on the beach.
Aviation photographers and touristswatched in absolute horror as
(27:14):
the massive airliner skimmedjust above the water surface.
One witness later described seeingthe jet wash from the engines
creating ripples on the water.
That is too low.
That's too low.
Now, I'm curious to find out ifthey were able to correct and make
a normal landing, or if they had tocircle again, we're gonna find out.
(27:36):
So the term jet wash, that's just areference to like the powerful blast of
air that comes out of the jet engines.
Inside of the cabin.
Folks.
As a reminder, there arepassengers on this airplane.
A lot of them that are lookingout the window filming.
We, we have the footage of them filming.
And they are alarmed.
(27:57):
My curiosity now is, was the pilot not,or the captain rather, was he not in.
Um, communications with thetower to see what was going on.
I mean, the tower had toldthem to do a visual approach.
A visual approach, yeah.
But the tower I would think was watchingto be like, you're, I can visually
(28:22):
see your approaching something else.
That's a great pointand a great question.
And I will say in all of the documentsand all of the research that I did
in this, it said that nobody knewor said anything or were alerted
until that very long acronym alert.
Yeah.
40 feet above the water.
(28:43):
Yes.
Yes.
So until they heard the too lowterrain button, they were just cruising
along, doing their merry little thing.
Let's go back to our passengers.
These poor passengers, Kyle St.
Jaire, a passenger on theflight later told aviation
(29:05):
journalists, Christine Negroni.
I looked out the window and saw thatwe were way too close to the water
and I didn't see any land that'sa really great perspective because
when you are a passenger in an airplane.
Mm-hmm.
You have a very specific view.
You do not see out thefront of the airplane.
For them it is nothing but water.
(29:27):
Yeah.
And they are so low.
And actually in the video that Iwatched, you can hear the woman who
recorded it saying, oh my God, we are so.
Low.
We are so low at this critical moment.
The pilots finally, finally recognizedthe extreme danger they were in.
(29:47):
According to the investigation report.
They immediately initiated ago around, which is what Zach
said they were going to do.
, I mean, talk about no shit moment.
, they are 40 feet from crashinginto the water and they
aborted the landing attempt.
They aborted the landing attemptby applying full power and
(30:09):
climbing away from the terrain.
There's a really good video of this,it almost looks kind of like a dash
cam video actually of a car that'sparked and you can see the plane.
Coming in, getting super low and thenclimbing like it is in fricking top gun.
So a go around is one of themost important safety maneuvers.
The pilots learn it is the aviationequivalent of saying, let's not risk it.
(30:37):
Let's not risk it for the biscuitwhen landing does not feel right or
when landing is not a safe option.
The pilots apply fullpower to the engines.
They adjust the aircraft's configurationfor climbing rather than landing, and
they follow a predetermined path to gainaltitude safely before they literally
(31:00):
go around and attempt another approach.
They are fairly common actuallyin commercial aviation.
, so.
You know, it wouldn't be unlikely thatmany of our listeners have been on
planes that have done go arounds andnot even fully known because this go
around is a very dramatic, this is avery dramatic example of a go around.
(31:24):
Sometimes it could just be like youstart to do a little bit of a descent and
then it's like, oh, we've got, you know,crazy traffic right now on the runway.
Do a go round.
It's like, okay.
And then you just climb backup, do a little go round, come
back when the runway's clear.
Or if you're used to flying intoDenver and the air just gets so thin
that it's suddenly super turbulent ortheir breaks are gonna get too hot.
(31:46):
I mean, every time we come intoColorado Springs or Denver,
it's just a ridiculous landing.
Yeah, it's pretty violent.
As the woman next to me sat on my,the last time I flew into Denver,
I thought we were gonna die.
She was so sweet.
She was from Louisiana,not a frequent flyer.
Saint Aire described the goaround as a violent acceleration
(32:10):
and an aggressive pitch up.
It felt like we were on a rollercoaster.
Another passenger reported that halfof the people on the plane were crying
during the climb away from danger.
The decision to execute a goaround came not a moment too soon.
According to the investigation.
If the pilots had delayed theirresponse by just three more seconds,
(32:34):
it would've crashed into water.
It was by any measure, anextraordinarily close call.
I mean, I don't know how much closeryou can get your three seconds.
That's it.
About 40 feet.
Yeah.
I would also say 40 feet after climbingto a safe altitude, the flight entered
a holding pattern, 4 45 minutes.
(32:54):
These four passengers justhad to go through this.
Half of them are crying, and now when allthat they want, they would probably give
a limb to get safely off of that plane.
And they're all stuck up in the air.
Air.
There's like just keep playing for a bit.
They're all just circling theairport for 45 minutes and then
they have to still land the plane.
(33:16):
Like the anxiety that thesepassengers must be feeling.
Oh my God.
All right, so they're waitingfor the weather to improve.
During this time, the flight crew hadthe opportunity to regain their composure
and prepare for a second approach.
When visibility conditionsimproved, flight 2 6 5 2 made
(33:36):
a second approach to runway 10.
This time maintaining the correctapproach, path and altitude, the
aircraft landed, safely with noinjuries to passengers or crew,
but the incident was far from over.
Thanks to the photographs andvideos captured from the beach.
(33:56):
Evidence of the near miss quicklyspread across aviation forums and social
media, and soon investigators wouldbe asking hard questions about how a
routine approach by experienced pilotshad come so close to ending in tragedy.
Yeah, it doesn't getmuch closer than that.
It really doesn't.
(34:17):
The investigation into the WestJetflight 2 6 5 2 incident was conducted
by the Transportation Safety Boardof Canada, also known as the TSB as
the aircraft was registered in Canadaand operated by Canadian airline.
The TSB is responsible for investigatingtransportation occurrences.
(34:38):
With the aim of advancing transportationsafety, one of the first challenges
that investigators faced was thelack of cockpit voice recording data.
Commercial aircraft are equipped withcockpit voice recorders, also known as
cvs that capture conversations betweenpilots and other sounds in the cockpit.
(34:59):
However, these devices typically onlyrecord on a two hour loop with new
data, continuously overriding old data.
This is like the classiclaw and order issue.
Oh, we have, we have that, but, itgot overwritten 24 hours ago.
The security cameras, they onlystay on there for six days.
You're day late and a dollar short.
(35:20):
Okay.
So the cockpit voice recorder, CVR, is oneof the two black boxes found on commercial
aircraft, though ironically, they'reactually bright orange for visibility.
So that's a fun fact.
The CVR records all conversationsin the cockpit as well as radio
transmissions and any sounds likealarms or switches being moved.
(35:43):
This data is invaluable forunderstanding what pilots were saying
and hearing during an incident.
and this is very common, like oftenwhen there are real crashes that
happen, one of the first things islike, what did the black box say?
, did you find the black box?
What information can we gather from that?
Yeah.
Me not even being hugely intoflying or you know, all this
(36:06):
aviation disaster that you love.
I still have heard theterm black box many times.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, absolutely.
But unlike the flight data recorder,which stores information for a much
longer period, the CVR typically onlykeeps the most recent two hours of audio.
Once those two hours are filled, itbegins recording over the oldest data.
(36:28):
Just like a security camera that saves themost recent footage, only because WestJet
initially classified the event as a missedapproach rather than a serious incident
that required mandatory reporting.
I mean, look, nobody likes doingpaperwork, so if you can just select,
oh, it was fine, but did you die?
(36:50):
Yeah, and they were like, no,it's gonna be a whole thing
if we have to write down that.
It was like a real booboo.
Anyway, because, they didthis, the aircraft continued
to operate after landing in St.
Martin.
So like, literally it landed and thenthey were like, oh, everybody off.
We're gonna refuel the plane.
(37:11):
We're just gonna takeoff to the next place.
, what that means though is that thatcritical information was written over.
So it deprived the investigatorsof some valuable insights.
Well, it sounds like they gotoff a pretty scot-free there.
Nevertheless, the investigation movedforward using other available data,
(37:33):
including the flight data recorder, whichlogs the technical parameters of the
flight, air traffic control recordings,witness statements, and of course the
photos that are just really insane.
Unlike the cockpit voice recorder,the flight data recorder, the FDR
captures a wealth of technicalinformation rather than audio.
(37:57):
So this is the thing that, they willuse to see, altitude, throttle inputs,
sensors that went off, alarms aregoing, all of that kind of stuff.
They can pull up and seeexactly what is going on.
The TSB released its final reporton the incident on June 4th, 2018,
(38:18):
more than a year after the event.
This was not a realaccident, it was an incident.
Mm-hmm.
, but they still took a year tofully investigate what happened.
That's how close this airplane was, tokilling every single person on board.
(38:39):
Sounds like it was government run.
If you ask me, oh my god.
My, my husband's ladies and gentlemen.
According to the report, theprimary cause of the incident was
the flight cruise deviation fromthe standard three degree descent
angle during their visual approach,which is really interesting because.
(39:02):
For them to say that the main causewas not doing the three degree descent
angle, that's fascinating to me.
, because I feel like everythingreally came into play because
they couldn't see the runway.
Yeah.
But also, not to mentionthat they probably were still
following their three degrees.
(39:23):
Um, they were gently approaching the sea.
They were just in the complete wrong spot.
Yeah.
So, as it continued to descend throughthe rain, it was gradually moving below
the standard three degree glide path.
So it did move below that.
Instead of maintaining approximately320 feet of altitude at one mile
(39:45):
from the runway, the aircraftwas significantly lower.
They should have remained the standardthree degree descent angle because
then they would've just smashed intothe hotel, I guess instead of the c.
The report also ident better,therefore also identified
several contributing factors.
obviously the unexpected deteriorationof visibility is huge, right?
(40:09):
That made it very difficultfor them to see the runway.
Second, the flight crew didnot effectively monitor the
flight path during the approach.
Modern flight decks providemultiple instruments.
That can help pilots verifytheir altitude and positions.
But in this case, it appears thatthe crew became overly focused
(40:29):
on trying to establish a visualreference outside the aircraft.
Third, princess Juliana InternationalAirport presents unique challenges for
pilots, the approach over water to arelatively short runway with mountains.
It really creates what aviationexperts call a black hole effect, which
is a visual illusion that can makepilots perceive that they are higher
(40:54):
than they actually are when they'reapproaching a runway surrounded by dark
featureless terrain, in this case, water.
That's fair.
Yeah, absolutely.
The black hole effect is a particularlydangerous visual illusion in aviation.
I always think when I'm drivingat night and headlights are coming
towards me, you know that reallytrippy thing where you're like, how
(41:18):
fast is that car coming towards me?
Or how far away are they?
It's really difficult to do that inthe dark, and that's very similar
to what this is like fourth.
Although WestJet provided its pilotswith information about this airport,
the information didn't specificallywarn about the visual illusions
(41:39):
associated with the approach torunway 10, or the potential risks of
misidentifying features near the airport.
Finally, the investigation also notedthat the cruise timely response to the
E-G-P-W-S warning and their decision toexecute a go around prevented what could
have been an absolutely catastrophicaccident had they delayed their response
(42:02):
by even one more second, the outcomecould have been tragically different.
Notably, the TSB did not makeany direct recommendations as a
result of their investigation.
Instead, they just left it to WestJetto kind of figure out what to do.
That's the strategy thatkeeps someone going, uh, oops.
(42:23):
So in the aftermath of this nearmiss, several important changes
were implemented to prevent similarincidents from happening in the future.
WestJet developed and implementeda comprehensive corrective action
plan, which sounds really intense.
That included providing pilotswith specific information about the
(42:45):
potential challenges and threats whenapproaching and landing at Princess
Juliana International Airport.
This really is like the problem.
Child airport.
This included warnings about thevisual illusions that can occur
during the approach as well asmaintaining the proper glide path.
The airline also emphasized the need forflight crews to verbalize any deviations
(43:10):
from standard approach paths to moreactively monitor flight parameters
during critical phases of flight.
So this kind of reflects agrowing recognition in aviation
that even experienced pilotscan have oopsies, right?
Everybody can, yes.
(43:32):
Yeah.
So the concept of verbalization is veryimportant for safety in aviation by saying
out loud what they're observing or doing.
Pilots create an additionallayer of awareness.
And make it easier for otherpilots to catch potential mistakes.
(43:52):
I constantly am talking to myselfwhen I am driving a racetrack.
I don't know if I don't think you talk to.
Yeah, no you don't.
Zach's shaking his head.
He's like, what?
Me?
I'm way too cool.
You know, I will say things tomyself like flat out breaking
in 3, 2, 1, break throttle.
(44:14):
And by doing that, it reallyhelps my body actually do the
actions that I want it to do.
More broadly, the incidenthighlighted the importance of timely
reporting of serious incidents.
Had WestJet immediately recognized andreported the severity of the incident,
the cockpit voice recordings could havebeen preserved, and that really would've
(44:36):
helped with the investigation for aviationenthusiasts and the general public.
The WestJet incident offered asobering reminder of the inherent
risks associated with air travel.
What's particularly remarkable about theWestJet incident is that it represents a
type of aviation story that we don't oftenhear, and that we probably don't get to
(44:59):
tell a whole ton of, which is a near miss.
That thanks to technology and humanresponse did not end in tragedy.
So for every aviation disaster thatmakes headlines, there are numerous
close calls, like a ton of them, but youknow, they aren't usually documented.
They don't usually make the news inthe way that like the big disasters do.
(45:23):
So sometimes it's harder for me toresearch and find information on.
But I do think that these storiesare still really important to tell.
Could agree with that.
Yep.
The industry, the aviation industryhas a concept called the Swiss
Cheese Model of accident prevention.
It was developed by safety expertJames reason imagine multiple
(45:44):
slices of Swiss cheese lined up.
Each slice represents asafety layer, pilot training,
warning systems, procedures.
The holes that are in each slicerepresent weaknesses or failures
in that particular safety layer.
When the holes in all of theslices temporarily line up, that
(46:07):
is when an accident can occur.
In the WestJet case,several holes had aligned.
Right, but the warning system andthe pilot's very quick response.
Kept the holes from lining up,ultimately preventing something
that could have been really tragic.
It's like a really good, I mean,isn't that cool process there?
Yeah, I know.
I really, really like that.
(46:27):
And that is our story of WestJetFlight 2 6 5 2 near miss in St.
Martin.
Can't wait to be there just a few weeks.
I know.
I mean, truly.
And we're gonna standon that beach for sure.
So if you enjoyed this episode,please rate, review and subscribe
(46:50):
wherever you get your podcasts.
Stay classy, San Diego.
Yeah.
You can also follow us on social media.
All of our handles are in the show notes.
Join us next week when we will bediscussing another extraordinary aviation
disaster . Until then, remember, stow yourtray tables, fasten your seat belts, and
(47:13):
prepare for the unexpected because notevery trip reaches its final destination.
Picture this, a commercial airlinerjust 40 feet above the churning
(00:06):
Caribbean sea with no runway in sight.
Through sheets of rain, passengerscan see only waves where concrete
should be in the cockpit.
Alarm systems blare.
As the pilots realize they are dangerouslyoff course and sinking towards the water.
(00:26):
With just seconds to react,they must make a decision or 164
lives will be lost in an instant.
Today we are boarding flightWestJet, flight 2 6 5 2 to explore
what happens when the line betweena routine landing and disaster is
(00:47):
measured in mere seconds and feet.
So stow your tray tables, fastenyour seat belts, and prepare for
some extreme turbulence becausethis is final boarding call
hello and welcome to Final Boarding Call.
I'm your disaster obsessed host, Alice.
(01:10):
And as always, I am joined by myhandsome homebody husband, Zach.
Hello.
It's me.
We are here to share anotheraviation story with you.
But before we dive in, a quick reminderto our listeners, please rate, review, and
subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
(01:30):
My sources for this episode includethe Official Transportation Safety
Board of Canada Investigation report.
That was some light reading newsarticles from various outlets, including
Christine Negroni's Aviation blog,as well as some firsthand accounts
from passengers and witnesses.
(01:52):
Okay.
Today we are exploring a dramatic incidentthat occurred at one of the world's most
famous and challenging airports, princessJuliana International Airport in st.
Martin, so this was a near disasterthat was captured on camera, both
(02:14):
from outside of the airplane aswell as footage recorded from
passengers inside of the airplane.
Take your phones out,catch what's going on.
I mean, it's really kind of crazy andyou can tell, I mean, we'll recount
this in the story, but especially the,the woman whose footage is inside of
(02:35):
the plane, you can definitely tellshe's like, what, what, what, what?
The escalation of the distress is real.
This episode also has specialsignificance for Zach and me , do
you wanna tell the people whythis is such a cool, one for us?
Well, the release of this oneis going to be during the time
(02:59):
that we are at this airport.
Correct.
So Zach and I are actually flying into St.
Martin, this exact airport.
And we're so excited aboutthis, and I will tell you why
I at least am so pumped.
I'm a nerd.
But this airport is famous for itsbeachside runway approach where the
(03:22):
aircraft passes just feet over touristheads, but as we'll discover today, those
spectacular approaches can very quicklybecome dangerous when things go wrong.
Disastrous.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
So, before we dive into the detailsof the WestJet incident, let's first
(03:44):
understand what makes the PrincessJuliana International Airport in St.
Martin so unique andchallenging for pilots.
Princess Juliana International Airport,also known as SXM, is famous around the
world for its dramatic runway approach.
The airport sits on a verynarrow strip of land between the
(04:08):
Caribbean sea and a lagoon withget the SZ mountains to the east.
So we've got, we literally havethe sea, a lagoon and mountains.
Like, how, what other obstacle wouldwe like to just throw in there?
(04:28):
It's, see if we can get a jump.
I mean, it's like, geta plane, do a kick flip.
Yes.
It is an insane, airport runway 10.
Which is used for most landings.
And you guys, I am keeping my fingers andtoes crossed that we are on runway 10.
So please, like helpmanifest this with me.
It's used for most landings.
(04:49):
Whoa, stop.
And it begins just a fewdozen meters from Maho Beach.
Literally like the beachends and the runway begins.
It is, straight up beach to runway.
It creates one of the most spectacularplane spotting locations on earth.
(05:14):
So I am going to show Zach a pictureactually, and I'm going to have
him describe to you what he sees.
All right, so we've gotsome acrobats going on here.
It looks like a guy holding up hislady, doing a handstand on his head,
which is quite impressive by itself.
(05:35):
Mm-hmm.
It is.
But they are darn near able to touchthe landing gear of this plane.
Correct.
This is not Photoshopped.
Which just makes what she's doing allthe more ignorant because a smack from
a plane descending into an airport andthey've still gotta be doing 150 miles an
hour by the time their wheels touch down.
(05:56):
Yes.
And this is part of an article called.
Maho beach, the king of close calls.
So that'll give you an ideaof what we're dealing with here.
I want our listeners to picturedaytona Beach, spring break packed
and just airplanes, feet abovethese people , on the beach.
(06:16):
Jump on the googs, check this thing out.
Yeah, this is crazy.
Maho, I think I'm pronouncing it right.
Maho or Maho?
It's MAHO Beach in St.
Martin.
And I will add this, whenZach and I are in St.
Martin, we are luggage and all.
We are absolutely going to this beachand we are hanging out for a couple
(06:36):
minutes so aircraft approachingrunway 10, obviously as we just saw,
must fly extremely low over the water.
Then they clear the beach, then theyclear an 80 bitty little perimeter
fence that's like, oh, that's cute.
I guess it technically separates theairport from the beach before they
(06:57):
touch down on a very short runway.
How about that?
So you got the seep, you gotlagoons, you got mountains.
You've got a , really short runway.
Maybe some sharks with freakinglaser beams attached to their heads.
Freaking laser beams.
Okay.
The unique approach has made Majoor Majo Beach an absolute magnet
for aviation enthusiasts and Taurus.
(07:19):
Thousands gather daily to experiencejets passing just 30 to 60 feet overhead.
Close enough to feel the jet blastsand be blown backwards if you
are standing in the wrong spot.
I think that's the right spot.
I, well, unfortunatelyit killed somebody.
What, so we're gonna, we're gonna touchvery briefly here on an insane know
(07:44):
when to hold them and when to fold them.
It's key.
Yeah.
Well, the jet blast, in 2017caused a tragic accident that
really highlighted the dangers ofthis popular tourist attraction.
A 57-year-old woman from New Zealandwas killed when she was knocked over by
the thrust from an aircraft's engines.
(08:04):
Despite being rushed to the hospital, shedid ultimately die due to head injuries.
This happened despite very clearwarning signs, urging Taurus not
to stand in the path of jet blasts.
Well, now not gonna stand in the, this maynot be our story, but how did it kill her?
(08:25):
Did she just fall over and hit her head?
And they blame that on the jetblast, , yes, as we heard that jet
blasts are so powerful that theywill knock you over and I think it
blew her backwards, flat her, and sheobviously hit her head on something.
I'm a hefty fellow.
It'd be hard pressed to do so to me.
Nope.
Okay, folks.,
don't worry.
Listeners.
Zach will not be standingin the jet blast path.
(08:47):
But this incident did spark very seriousdiscussions about public safety with St.
Martin.
Government Minister.
Christophe Emmanuel.
Even suggesting closing the road at theend of runway 23, such a move would've
dramatically changed the Beach's famousplane spotting culture and potentially
impacted local businesses like thepopular Sunset Bar and Grill where
(09:10):
tourists gathered to watch the planesfor hours while enjoying food and drinks.
That is where Zach and Iwill be getting our lunch.
We land promptly at 1230.
Local time.
It is perfect and drinksand, and get drank.
Um, I don't drink, but Zach does.
. While those proposed closures ultimatelydid not happen, thank goodness the
(09:34):
incident serves really as a soberingreminder that the spectacle of this
beach comes with very real risks.
So stay safe.
Stay out of the thrust blast.
The jet blast.
Yeah.
Stay, stay away from the thrust.
Thrust safely.
Got a blast.
Got a blast, baby.
For those unfamiliar with airport layouts.
(09:56):
Most major international airports haveextensive buffer zones around the runways.
Often thousands of feetof just clear flat land.
This is why it usually takesforever to drive to an airport.
Airport.
They're in the middle ofnowhere and they're super ugly.
It's safety like I think about DenverInternational Airport, which is our
(10:17):
international airport in Colorado,and even if you live in Denver.
It will take you 40 minutes to get to DIA.
Yeah.
You are practically to Kansas.
Correct?
If you go to Denver airport.
Yeah.
And even though Colorado's stunning,Denver International Airport
is like, like people land andthey're like, this is Colorado.
(10:40):
I fool all the way out here for this.
But it's intentional because it's safe.
They, they do this because they have tohave buffers in case anything happens.
At Princess Juliana,there is no buffer zone.
On the approach side, there is just sea.
(11:01):
This means that pilots have to beextraordinarily precise about where
they begin their descent to the runway.
Right?
It is short.
So you cannot be too high because youwill run out of runway, but you also
can't be too low because you're gonnahit the water, because you're gonna
hit the water correct or the beach.
(11:21):
While this creates incrediblephoto opportunities and tourism
revenue, , it also means there'svery little margin for error.
The approach requires pilots tomaintain a precise three degree
glide path to the runway threshold.
Come into high, you risk overshootingthe runway come into low and you
(11:42):
risk what aviation experts call.
Controlled flight into terrain.
What's the terrain in this case?
Water and beach.
So I'm gonna briefly explain what athree degree glide path means, because
that's a term I was not familiar with.
So imagine drawing a straight linefrom the beginning of the runway
(12:03):
up into the sky at a three degreeangle, just a bit steeper than
a typical household staircase.
This invisible line is what aircraftshould follow during their final approach.
It ensures that they will, clear anyobstacles while still touching down
(12:24):
at the right spot on the runway.
Modern airports typically haveelectronic guidance systems
that help pilots stay on path.
But pilots can also fly it visually bymaintaining specific altitude checkpoints
as they get closer to the runway.
Makes sense.
Makes sense.
Did you pass geometry?
'cause I barely did,so I'm gonna be honest.
(12:45):
That was, I did, but that'swhy I am a little confused.
The stairs definitely go upcloser to a, I don't know, 30 or
40 degree angle, I would think.
, I don't know if we have any pilotsthat are listening and you can
describe or explain better whatthe three degree glide path means.
, please do.
(13:05):
Because it's not three degrees.
Like our listeners are gonnapicture three degrees and
they're like,, that's just flat.
Three degrees is just a straight lineessentially, but , it's not at all.
Picture An airplane is goingdown a flight of stairs that
is a three degree glide path.
(13:27):
Despite these challenges, princess JulianaInternational Airport has maintained an
excellent safety record over the decades.
But as we will see with WestJet flight2, 6, 5, 2, even experienced pilots can
find themselves in dangerous situationswhen multiple factors align against them.
Perhaps what's most remarkable aboutthe WestJet incident is that it was
(13:51):
captured by aviation photographerswho were at the beach that day.
Their dramatic images show how closethe Boeing 7 37 came to disaster
photographic evidence that would laterprove crucial to investigators trying
to understand exactly what went wrong.
Let's get to our story.
(14:12):
March 7th, 2017 began as a typicalday for WestJet Flight 2 6 5 2.
The Boeing 7 37 800 aircraftdeparted Toronto Pearson
International Airport in Canada,
oh oh, and it was bound for PrincessJuliana International Airport in St.
(14:35):
Martin.
On board were 158 passengersand six crew members.
The flight crew was highly experienced.
The captain had over 14,000 hours oftotal flight time, which is a ton.
In our last episode, the pilot had11,000, so this is 3000 more than that.
(14:56):
\ , see, we can math.
I had to save myself alittle math fact there.
And three plus two is four, though.
I remember that.
Oh my goodness gracious.
And specifically this captainhad significant experience
flying Boeing seven 30 sevens.
The first officer was similarly qualifiedwith over 12,500 hours of flight time.
(15:20):
Both had flown into PrincessJuliana International Airport
before, though neither would beconsidered a regular on this route.
You know, they're not on a firstname basis in the Starbucks airport.
Okay, give us a moment, folks.
The pit bull is resettling.
If you don't have a houseat though, get you one.
They're so good and also just so annoying.
(15:42):
To put these flying hours intoperspective, 14,000 hours is
equivalent to spending about 1.6
years straight in the air.
Alternatively, it's equivalentto flying eight hours a day, five
days a week for nearly seven years.
It's a lot of years.
I mean, these are, these are experiencedpilots, this is just a really weird
(16:02):
circumstance and a very weird airport.
The flight across the Atlantic was routinewith good weather for most of the journey.
However, as they begin to approach St.
Martin conditions change, aweather system was moving through
the area, bringing scattered rainshowers that reduced visibility.
(16:22):
And this was some pretty intense rain.
, I've watched a lot of videos of thisincident and it was definitely a storm.
It was not just like little rain shower.
According to the Transportation SafetyBoard of Canada investigation, the
flight crew initially planned foran instrument approach to runway 10,
which would allow them to use theirnavigation instruments to guide them
(16:46):
toward the airport until they establishedvisual contact with the runway.
Smart, right?
Because visibility is alittle impacted right now.
This is standard procedure when weatherconditions might affect visibility.
For those who aren't familiar withaviation terminology, let me explain
the difference between a visualapproach and an instrument approach.
(17:06):
So they are very similar to howthey sound a visual approach.
You are literally looking outsideof the windshield if your windshield
is still there and you are lookingfor fist landmarks to guide,
the plane to the runway, right?
I always think about this when I'm flyingand I look out the window, and I wonder
(17:29):
how the pilots know where the airport is.
Do you ever wonder that?
Like when you're up in the air andyou're flying over a huge city like
Denver, for example, and there's.
So many lights and you're like, how?
How does the pilot knowwhich light is our light?
I actually don't get the opportunityto think about that because you
(17:50):
insist on the window seat everytime I'm actually an aisle girl,
yet somehow never had the window.
So basically what we're saying isZach, by default ends up in the middle.
'cause I like sitting next tohim and I always want the aisle
so you never get the window.
Oh boy.
(18:10):
Alright.
Well anyway, that is a visual approach.
An instrument approach, on the otherhand, relies on electronic navigation aids
and the aircraft's instruments to guidepilots precisely along a predetermined
path, even when they can't see the runway.
So this is the difference betweennavigating a car trip, you know,
using landmarks versus GPS directions.
(18:33):
So as these pilots are beginningtheir descent towards St.
Martin, the crew received updatedweather information indicating that
while there were some rain showers inthe area, visibility was still within
acceptable limits for a visual approach.
Based on this information, theyswitched their plan from an instrument
approach to a visual approach, meaningthey would navigate primarily by
(18:55):
looking outside of the aircraft.
I know around 3:45 PM local timeflight 2 6 5 2 was cleared for
the visual approach to runway 10.
At this point, everythingstill seemed very routine.
The aircraft was configured, correctlyon a stable descent path, and the
(19:16):
crew had the airport in sight.
So all very routine.
However, as the Boeing 7 37crossed the coast line and began
its final approach over the water.
It entered an area of significantrainfall within seconds, visibility
deteriorated dramatically.
As I was saying through those videos,I was like, I don't know what these air
(19:39):
traffic control people are saying becausethe videos that I saw, it is like raining.
It's raining, cats and dogs,folks, maybe even chickens.
It might be raining chickens.
So visibility is garbage throughthe rain streaked windshield.
The pilots were struggling to maintainvisual contact with the runway, and
(20:02):
this is where things begin to go wrong.
According to the investigationreport, the pilots misidentified
a hotel to the left of the runway.
As the actual runway.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna read that again.
The pilots misidentified a hotel to theleft of the runway as the actual runway.
(20:30):
The hotel's color, shape, and locationcreated a false visual reference that
led them to believe they were linedup correctly, when in fact they were
drifting left of the proper approach path.
Hmm.
Yeah.
Not a good start.
It's not great.
Visual illusions aresurprisingly common in aviation.
(20:56):
Maybe surprising was the wrong word there.
Maybe alarmingly common isthe word I should have used.
Visual illusions are alarminglycommon in aviation, especially
during challenging approaches.
The human brain, tries to makesense of what the eyes are seeing,
sometimes filling in gaps andmaking incorrect assumptions, right?
(21:16):
So this is what happens when youare walking by a store and you see a
mannequin outta the corner of your eye,and your brain is like, oh, there's
a person, and you like, turn aroundreally quick, and you're like, whoa.
And then it's just a mannequin.
Your brain can make quickinterpretations based on limited
visual information, and thatinterpretation can sometimes be wrong.
(21:39):
It's much better when it's a mannequinand you're not flying a plane.
As flight 2 6 5 2 continuedto descend through the rain.
It was gradually moving below thestandard three degree glide path.
Instead of maintaining approximately320 feet of altitude at one mile
from the runway, the aircraftwas significantly lower.
(22:03):
Can't get much lower than 320 feet.
Oh, it does.
It does.
It shouldn't, but it does.
Trying to become the Titanic.
On the beach.
Aviation photographers noticedsomething was not right.
These aviation photographers are prettyused to like flights coming in pretty low.
(22:24):
Yeah.
Coming in hot and low, how they look.
So if they are noticing thatsomething is not right, that means
that that plane is like low low.
And I'm about to tellyou how low it low it is.
Shorty got low.
The WestJet 7 37 was so low that theycould see its reflection in the water.
(22:49):
I would love for that tobe more dramatic for me.
What does that mean in feet?
Oh, you're just so, okay.
Sorry.
We're gonna get there.
One photographer Christine Garnerraised her camera and captured what
would become crucial evidence of justhow close this flight came to disaster.
(23:10):
At this point, the pilot still had notrealized they were dangerously low, but
the aircraft safety systems were aboutto sound the alarm as WestJet Flight
2 6 5 2 continued its descent towardsPrincess Juliana International Airport.
The situation was rapidly becomingcritical, though the pilots were
(23:31):
still not fully aware of the danger.
According to the Transportation SafetyBoard of Canada investigation, when
the aircraft was approximately 0.6
nautical miles from the runwaythreshold that's about 3,600 feet.
So, you know, in moving aircraftterms, that's not far, not not too
(23:51):
far, but still not at the runway.
This plane had descendedto 63 feet above the water.
Oof, that's very low.
That was very low at this point.
The enhanced ground proximitywarning System, the E-G-P-W-S that
just rolls right off the tongueactivated, triggering an audible,
(24:13):
too low terrain alert in the cockpit.
So that is what the alert says, too.
Low terrain.
This warning was a critical moment.
Modern commercial aircraft areequipped with sophisticated warning
systems that are specifically designedto prevent controlled flight into
terrain accidents, which is good.
So when the E-G-P-W-S issues awarning, pilots are trained to
(24:38):
respond immediately and decisively.
So , this system is really theaircraft's last line of defense
against flying into the ground, orin this case the water accidentally.
If you have a modern car and it doesthat really annoying thing where
like if the car in front of you stopssuddenly and it kind of takes over
(25:01):
and does like a beep beep thing, Ipersonally absolutely hate that feature.
However, that is very similar to theE-G-P-W-S on steroids 'cause it's a plane.
So just like how your car usesradar to do that, detecting the
aircraft does the same thing.
(25:22):
It has a three dimensional mapof the terrain ahead and it uses
radar to figure out where you are.
Commercial aviation accidents havedecreased dramatically since these
systems became mandatory as they providevery crucial warnings when pilots might
not realize that they are in danger.
In this case, the flight crew initiallyseemed confused by the warning.
(25:45):
According to the investigationreport, there was a momentary delay
as they processed what was happening.
Remember, they believed that theywere on the correct approach point
because they had misidentified thehotel to the left of the runway
as their visual reference point.
So they fully believed that they wereheaded in the right direction and
that they were on the right path.
(26:07):
The aircraft continued to dissent bythe time it reached approximately 0.3
nautical miles.
From the runway threshold.
So that's about 1800 feet.
It had descended to a mere 40 feetabove the surface of the Caribbean sea.
(26:29):
So 40 feet is about the heightof a four story building.
The Boeing 7 37 800 is justover 41 feet tall from the
ground to the top of its tail.
So this means that the aircraft wasliterally its own height above the water.
That's too close, way too close.
(26:50):
And at the speed that it was travelingapproximately 140 knots or 161 miles
per hour, it would've taken less thanthree seconds to impact the water.
Wow.
If no action was taken.
Three seconds on the beach.
Aviation photographers and touristswatched in absolute horror as
(27:14):
the massive airliner skimmedjust above the water surface.
One witness later described seeingthe jet wash from the engines
creating ripples on the water.
That is too low.
That's too low.
Now, I'm curious to find out ifthey were able to correct and make
a normal landing, or if they had tocircle again, we're gonna find out.
(27:36):
So the term jet wash, that's just areference to like the powerful blast of
air that comes out of the jet engines.
Inside of the cabin.
Folks.
As a reminder, there arepassengers on this airplane.
A lot of them that are lookingout the window filming.
We, we have the footage of them filming.
And they are alarmed.
(27:57):
My curiosity now is, was the pilot not,or the captain rather, was he not in.
Um, communications with thetower to see what was going on.
I mean, the tower had toldthem to do a visual approach.
A visual approach, yeah.
But the tower I would think was watchingto be like, you're, I can visually
(28:22):
see your approaching something else.
That's a great pointand a great question.
And I will say in all of the documentsand all of the research that I did
in this, it said that nobody knewor said anything or were alerted
until that very long acronym alert.
Yeah.
40 feet above the water.
(28:43):
Yes.
Yes.
So until they heard the too lowterrain button, they were just cruising
along, doing their merry little thing.
Let's go back to our passengers.
These poor passengers, Kyle St.
Jaire, a passenger on theflight later told aviation
(29:05):
journalists, Christine Negroni.
I looked out the window and saw thatwe were way too close to the water
and I didn't see any land that'sa really great perspective because
when you are a passenger in an airplane.
Mm-hmm.
You have a very specific view.
You do not see out thefront of the airplane.
For them it is nothing but water.
(29:27):
Yeah.
And they are so low.
And actually in the video that Iwatched, you can hear the woman who
recorded it saying, oh my God, we are so.
Low.
We are so low at this critical moment.
The pilots finally, finally recognizedthe extreme danger they were in.
(29:47):
According to the investigation report.
They immediately initiated ago around, which is what Zach
said they were going to do.
, I mean, talk about no shit moment.
, they are 40 feet from crashinginto the water and they
aborted the landing attempt.
They aborted the landing attemptby applying full power and
(30:09):
climbing away from the terrain.
There's a really good video of this,it almost looks kind of like a dash
cam video actually of a car that'sparked and you can see the plane.
Coming in, getting super low and thenclimbing like it is in fricking top gun.
So a go around is one of themost important safety maneuvers.
The pilots learn it is the aviationequivalent of saying, let's not risk it.
(30:37):
Let's not risk it for the biscuitwhen landing does not feel right or
when landing is not a safe option.
The pilots apply fullpower to the engines.
They adjust the aircraft's configurationfor climbing rather than landing, and
they follow a predetermined path to gainaltitude safely before they literally
(31:00):
go around and attempt another approach.
They are fairly common actuallyin commercial aviation.
, so.
You know, it wouldn't be unlikely thatmany of our listeners have been on
planes that have done go arounds andnot even fully known because this go
around is a very dramatic, this is avery dramatic example of a go around.
(31:24):
Sometimes it could just be like youstart to do a little bit of a descent and
then it's like, oh, we've got, you know,crazy traffic right now on the runway.
Do a go round.
It's like, okay.
And then you just climb backup, do a little go round, come
back when the runway's clear.
Or if you're used to flying intoDenver and the air just gets so thin
that it's suddenly super turbulent ortheir breaks are gonna get too hot.
(31:46):
I mean, every time we come intoColorado Springs or Denver,
it's just a ridiculous landing.
Yeah, it's pretty violent.
As the woman next to me sat on my,the last time I flew into Denver,
I thought we were gonna die.
She was so sweet.
She was from Louisiana,not a frequent flyer.
Saint Aire described the goaround as a violent acceleration
(32:10):
and an aggressive pitch up.
It felt like we were on a rollercoaster.
Another passenger reported that halfof the people on the plane were crying
during the climb away from danger.
The decision to execute a goaround came not a moment too soon.
According to the investigation.
If the pilots had delayed theirresponse by just three more seconds,
(32:34):
it would've crashed into water.
It was by any measure, anextraordinarily close call.
I mean, I don't know how much closeryou can get your three seconds.
That's it.
About 40 feet.
Yeah.
I would also say 40 feet after climbingto a safe altitude, the flight entered
a holding pattern, 4 45 minutes.
(32:54):
These four passengers justhad to go through this.
Half of them are crying, and now when allthat they want, they would probably give
a limb to get safely off of that plane.
And they're all stuck up in the air.
Air.
There's like just keep playing for a bit.
They're all just circling theairport for 45 minutes and then
they have to still land the plane.
(33:16):
Like the anxiety that thesepassengers must be feeling.
Oh my God.
All right, so they're waitingfor the weather to improve.
During this time, the flight crew hadthe opportunity to regain their composure
and prepare for a second approach.
When visibility conditionsimproved, flight 2 6 5 2 made
(33:36):
a second approach to runway 10.
This time maintaining the correctapproach, path and altitude, the
aircraft landed, safely with noinjuries to passengers or crew,
but the incident was far from over.
Thanks to the photographs andvideos captured from the beach.
(33:56):
Evidence of the near miss quicklyspread across aviation forums and social
media, and soon investigators wouldbe asking hard questions about how a
routine approach by experienced pilotshad come so close to ending in tragedy.
Yeah, it doesn't getmuch closer than that.
It really doesn't.
(34:17):
The investigation into the WestJetflight 2 6 5 2 incident was conducted
by the Transportation Safety Boardof Canada, also known as the TSB as
the aircraft was registered in Canadaand operated by Canadian airline.
The TSB is responsible for investigatingtransportation occurrences.
(34:38):
With the aim of advancing transportationsafety, one of the first challenges
that investigators faced was thelack of cockpit voice recording data.
Commercial aircraft are equipped withcockpit voice recorders, also known as
cvs that capture conversations betweenpilots and other sounds in the cockpit.
(34:59):
However, these devices typically onlyrecord on a two hour loop with new
data, continuously overriding old data.
This is like the classiclaw and order issue.
Oh, we have, we have that, but, itgot overwritten 24 hours ago.
The security cameras, they onlystay on there for six days.
You're day late and a dollar short.
(35:20):
Okay.
So the cockpit voice recorder, CVR, is oneof the two black boxes found on commercial
aircraft, though ironically, they'reactually bright orange for visibility.
So that's a fun fact.
The CVR records all conversationsin the cockpit as well as radio
transmissions and any sounds likealarms or switches being moved.
(35:43):
This data is invaluable forunderstanding what pilots were saying
and hearing during an incident.
and this is very common, like oftenwhen there are real crashes that
happen, one of the first things islike, what did the black box say?
, did you find the black box?
What information can we gather from that?
Yeah.
Me not even being hugely intoflying or you know, all this
(36:06):
aviation disaster that you love.
I still have heard theterm black box many times.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, absolutely.
But unlike the flight data recorder,which stores information for a much
longer period, the CVR typically onlykeeps the most recent two hours of audio.
Once those two hours are filled, itbegins recording over the oldest data.
(36:28):
Just like a security camera that saves themost recent footage, only because WestJet
initially classified the event as a missedapproach rather than a serious incident
that required mandatory reporting.
I mean, look, nobody likes doingpaperwork, so if you can just select,
oh, it was fine, but did you die?
(36:50):
Yeah, and they were like, no,it's gonna be a whole thing
if we have to write down that.
It was like a real booboo.
Anyway, because, they didthis, the aircraft continued
to operate after landing in St.
Martin.
So like, literally it landed and thenthey were like, oh, everybody off.
We're gonna refuel the plane.
(37:11):
We're just gonna takeoff to the next place.
, what that means though is that thatcritical information was written over.
So it deprived the investigatorsof some valuable insights.
Well, it sounds like they gotoff a pretty scot-free there.
Nevertheless, the investigation movedforward using other available data,
(37:33):
including the flight data recorder, whichlogs the technical parameters of the
flight, air traffic control recordings,witness statements, and of course the
photos that are just really insane.
Unlike the cockpit voice recorder,the flight data recorder, the FDR
captures a wealth of technicalinformation rather than audio.
(37:57):
So this is the thing that, they willuse to see, altitude, throttle inputs,
sensors that went off, alarms aregoing, all of that kind of stuff.
They can pull up and seeexactly what is going on.
The TSB released its final reporton the incident on June 4th, 2018,
(38:18):
more than a year after the event.
This was not a realaccident, it was an incident.
Mm-hmm.
, but they still took a year tofully investigate what happened.
That's how close this airplane was, tokilling every single person on board.
(38:39):
Sounds like it was government run.
If you ask me, oh my god.
My, my husband's ladies and gentlemen.
According to the report, theprimary cause of the incident was
the flight cruise deviation fromthe standard three degree descent
angle during their visual approach,which is really interesting because.
(39:02):
For them to say that the main causewas not doing the three degree descent
angle, that's fascinating to me.
, because I feel like everythingreally came into play because
they couldn't see the runway.
Yeah.
But also, not to mentionthat they probably were still
following their three degrees.
(39:23):
Um, they were gently approaching the sea.
They were just in the complete wrong spot.
Yeah.
So, as it continued to descend throughthe rain, it was gradually moving below
the standard three degree glide path.
So it did move below that.
Instead of maintaining approximately320 feet of altitude at one mile
(39:45):
from the runway, the aircraftwas significantly lower.
They should have remained the standardthree degree descent angle because
then they would've just smashed intothe hotel, I guess instead of the c.
The report also ident better,therefore also identified
several contributing factors.
obviously the unexpected deteriorationof visibility is huge, right?
(40:09):
That made it very difficultfor them to see the runway.
Second, the flight crew didnot effectively monitor the
flight path during the approach.
Modern flight decks providemultiple instruments.
That can help pilots verifytheir altitude and positions.
But in this case, it appears thatthe crew became overly focused
(40:29):
on trying to establish a visualreference outside the aircraft.
Third, princess Juliana InternationalAirport presents unique challenges for
pilots, the approach over water to arelatively short runway with mountains.
It really creates what aviationexperts call a black hole effect, which
is a visual illusion that can makepilots perceive that they are higher
(40:54):
than they actually are when they'reapproaching a runway surrounded by dark
featureless terrain, in this case, water.
That's fair.
Yeah, absolutely.
The black hole effect is a particularlydangerous visual illusion in aviation.
I always think when I'm drivingat night and headlights are coming
towards me, you know that reallytrippy thing where you're like, how
(41:18):
fast is that car coming towards me?
Or how far away are they?
It's really difficult to do that inthe dark, and that's very similar
to what this is like fourth.
Although WestJet provided its pilotswith information about this airport,
the information didn't specificallywarn about the visual illusions
(41:39):
associated with the approach torunway 10, or the potential risks of
misidentifying features near the airport.
Finally, the investigation also notedthat the cruise timely response to the
E-G-P-W-S warning and their decision toexecute a go around prevented what could
have been an absolutely catastrophicaccident had they delayed their response
(42:02):
by even one more second, the outcomecould have been tragically different.
Notably, the TSB did not makeany direct recommendations as a
result of their investigation.
Instead, they just left it to WestJetto kind of figure out what to do.
That's the strategy thatkeeps someone going, uh, oops.
(42:23):
So in the aftermath of this nearmiss, several important changes
were implemented to prevent similarincidents from happening in the future.
WestJet developed and implementeda comprehensive corrective action
plan, which sounds really intense.
That included providing pilotswith specific information about the
(42:45):
potential challenges and threats whenapproaching and landing at Princess
Juliana International Airport.
This really is like the problem.
Child airport.
This included warnings about thevisual illusions that can occur
during the approach as well asmaintaining the proper glide path.
The airline also emphasized the need forflight crews to verbalize any deviations
(43:10):
from standard approach paths to moreactively monitor flight parameters
during critical phases of flight.
So this kind of reflects agrowing recognition in aviation
that even experienced pilotscan have oopsies, right?
Everybody can, yes.
(43:32):
Yeah.
So the concept of verbalization is veryimportant for safety in aviation by saying
out loud what they're observing or doing.
Pilots create an additionallayer of awareness.
And make it easier for otherpilots to catch potential mistakes.
(43:52):
I constantly am talking to myselfwhen I am driving a racetrack.
I don't know if I don't think you talk to.
Yeah, no you don't.
Zach's shaking his head.
He's like, what?
Me?
I'm way too cool.
You know, I will say things tomyself like flat out breaking
in 3, 2, 1, break throttle.
(44:14):
And by doing that, it reallyhelps my body actually do the
actions that I want it to do.
More broadly, the incidenthighlighted the importance of timely
reporting of serious incidents.
Had WestJet immediately recognized andreported the severity of the incident,
the cockpit voice recordings could havebeen preserved, and that really would've
(44:36):
helped with the investigation for aviationenthusiasts and the general public.
The WestJet incident offered asobering reminder of the inherent
risks associated with air travel.
What's particularly remarkable about theWestJet incident is that it represents a
type of aviation story that we don't oftenhear, and that we probably don't get to
(44:59):
tell a whole ton of, which is a near miss.
That thanks to technology and humanresponse did not end in tragedy.
So for every aviation disaster thatmakes headlines, there are numerous
close calls, like a ton of them, but youknow, they aren't usually documented.
They don't usually make the news inthe way that like the big disasters do.
(45:23):
So sometimes it's harder for me toresearch and find information on.
But I do think that these storiesare still really important to tell.
Could agree with that.
Yep.
The industry, the aviation industryhas a concept called the Swiss
Cheese Model of accident prevention.
It was developed by safety expertJames reason imagine multiple
(45:44):
slices of Swiss cheese lined up.
Each slice represents asafety layer, pilot training,
warning systems, procedures.
The holes that are in each slicerepresent weaknesses or failures
in that particular safety layer.
When the holes in all of theslices temporarily line up, that
(46:07):
is when an accident can occur.
In the WestJet case,several holes had aligned.
Right, but the warning system andthe pilot's very quick response.
Kept the holes from lining up,ultimately preventing something
that could have been really tragic.
It's like a really good, I mean,isn't that cool process there?
Yeah, I know.
I really, really like that.
(46:27):
And that is our story of WestJetFlight 2 6 5 2 near miss in St.
Martin.
Can't wait to be there just a few weeks.
I know.
I mean, truly.
And we're gonna standon that beach for sure.
So if you enjoyed this episode,please rate, review and subscribe
(46:50):
wherever you get your podcasts.
Stay classy, San Diego.
Yeah.
You can also follow us on social media.
All of our handles are in the show notes.
Join us next week when we will bediscussing another extraordinary aviation
disaster . Until then, remember, stow yourtray tables, fasten your seat belts, and
(47:13):
prepare for the unexpected because notevery trip reaches its final destination.
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