On Tuesday, Widerøe’s WF968 flew from Alta to Vadsø, before going via Båtsfjord and Mehamn and landing in the North Cape.
Everything then went according to plan.
But when the plane was going on to Hammerfest and Tromsø, it had problems,
It was iFinnmark who first mentioned the case.
When WF968 was taxiing at Honningsvåg airport, the plane, with 37 passengers on board, ended up in the ditch and got stuck in the snow.
Nose wheel in loose snow
– Apparently the Widerøe pilot has misnavigated a bit and ended up with the nose wheel in loose snow and got stuck, says airport manager Ronny Andersen at Honningsvåg airport to iFinnmark.
Anne Eriksen is one of the 37 passengers who were on board the plane.
– Here but no longer. Photo: Anne Eriksen
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– We were about to take off when the plane suddenly got stuck. It was a bit strange to experience driving in the snow with a plane. But we know how winter can be here in the north, and then anything can happen, says Eriksen to TV 2.
– Fly cursed
She and most of the passengers who were on board the plane are now sitting on a bus on the way to Hammerfest.
But Eriksen is upset about the lack of information and follow-up from Widerøe.
– We are planes cursed on Widerøe. The treatment we have received is unprofessional. We have not received any messages or follow-up. We have also not received either water or food on this bus trip, which takes almost three hours, says Eriksen.
Widerøe believes that the incident with their WF968 was relatively undramatic.
– What has happened is that at Honningsvåg airport there are two taxiways. They are quite close so there are marker lights on each side of the lanes. The pilot had misdirected and lay down in the middle and ended up outside, says communications director Silje Brandvoll in Widerøe to TV 2.
She says that the plane had low speed and that there was no drama when the plane took off.
Closed airport
– But there is a lot of snow so the plane got stuck. We are working on sending techniques to the site to pull up the plane on the taxiway again, Brandvoll says.
The airport is closed as a result of the current state of the aircraft.
– The plane, which was to continue to Hammerfest and Tromsø, was canceled. The passengers have been sent on by bus to Hammerfest, says the communications director.
The closure of the airport also means that a plane later Tuesday night does not come down and has to fly over.
The case is being updated!
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