(Montreal) A Sunwing airline flight from Santa Clara, Cuba, to Montreal, had to land in an emergency last Wednesday after a tire burst on the landing gear during takeoff. .
The aircraft landed safely at Varadero airport, still in Cuba, and all 190 passengers and crew escaped unscathed after emergency ground crews responded.
The case made little noise in Canada, but the pilot of the device, Vicky Earks, received a heroin welcome in Cuba, where local media amply reported the story.
Ms. Earks is also photographed in some Cuban media with a canvas given to her to emphasize her composure.
The cause of the tire burst on takeoff is not known. Cuban television footage shows that the left landing gear outer tire is shredded, but no apparent damage is visible.
According to the specialized site Aviation Safety Network, the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, had already experienced a window cracking problem in September 2022 and another autopilot problem in November 2019, but both problems had been resolved.
Sunwing had not returned the call or email from La Presse Canadienne at the time of this publication.
