Westjet (737) flight returns to YVR after hitting something.
 

bad reporting in this article.

WestJet flight makes emergency landing at YVR
A WestJet flight out of Vancouver on its way to Hawaii had to make an emergency landing late this afternoon.

The plane hit something in the air and turned around for precautionary reasons just after 5:30 p.m., said a Vancouver International Airport spokesperson.

All passengers are safe and airport authorities are investigating what happened.

Mmmmm! I wonder what that "something" could be. I would love to see the NOTAM that's published afterward: "Use extreme caution for something out there". Hopefully they've removed [the something] by now and nobody will hit it anymore. :8

Vancouver to Hawai in a B737?:eek:

well its 2400NM = about 6hrs. combined with ETOPS 180 and a sharp pencil...

I've seen a few home made hot air or gas balloons (of quite a size - 6 to 10 feet tall) floating about in the airways in my time.

Over 20 scheduled flights a week to Oahu, Maui and Hawaii. About six hours as FCSE said.

Made a few myself, midnight shift could get really boring at YVR.

Maybe a WJ dude can clarify, but I think they reduce the number of middle seat sales to offset the fuel requirement/ weight limitations for flights to the Hawian islands, especially from YYC.

Smoketrails, not that much different to Stockholm - Las Palmas which is regularly done by B737-800s.

Stockholm-Las Palmas isn't all over water.

Lets try that
 

Read recently about a guy who did that trip in a Bonanza. Turned back at the decision point. Makes the 73 trip a walk in the park, unless of course you ''hit something''.:eek:

...and not only over water, it's a lot rougher over the Pacific!

737 to Hawai
 

I took a recent 737-800 flight YVR to OGG on Westjet.
Seats were comfortable with a 34in pitch. Service good. No complaints.
Surely a narrow body plane has to qualify for ETOPS as rigorously as a widebody?
What is more interesting is what the plane hit.

..hhmm..

Ya don't have to be over water to be ETOPS.

Jinglie'd

I was talking in terms of range not what's underneath. As for the Pacific being "rougher" I'm not quite sure what you mean by that. If you mean more prone to turbulence, it doesn't really matter if you're in a B737-800 or a B767-200/300. Rough air is rough air.

So, if they hit something, it was really a "near-miss".:E

could it be fowl?

Yes, especially if it was one of Rollingthunder's gas ballons.

'twas fowl indeed...

From transport Canada's CADORS:

"Westjet Airlines Flight WJA1874, a Boeing B738 IFR Vancouver (CYVR) to Lihue HI, reported a bird strike departing Runway 26L. The runway was closed for inspection. After departure the pilot requested return to CYVR but needed to burn off fuel. At 210035Z the aircraft returned to CYVR and requested Crash & Fire Rescue stand-by. All agencies were notified. The aircraft landed safely at 210052Z on Runway 26L. "

Canada Geese and Trumpeter Swans are common there. Both make major dents in aluminum.