There were some tense moments but passengers were never in any immediate danger when a plane made an unexpected landing Tuesday while flying from Prince Albert to La Ronge.
The SAAB SF-340 operated by Transwest Air was headed north when crewmembers noticed a problem in the cockpit.
Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Hildebrand says his organization has been briefed on what happened.
“In the climb out of Prince Albert en route to La Ronge, the crew noticed a problem with one of the navigational radios in the cockpit, and at the same time, a smell was detected on the flight deck,” he says. “A bit of smoke came out of the front of the panel but the visibility was not obscured by it.”
The plane turned around and made a safe landing back in Prince Albert.
Hildebrand says in a case like this, aircrew training is important.
“We do periodically hear of reports of these things. Our concern is whether the existing procedures are sufficient to deal with the occurrence and in this case they were. They also seemed to be handled as a matter of routine.”
There were 21 passengers and three crewmembers on board.
Hildebrand says the TSB will not be investigating the incident any further.