Broken rotor blade caused WestJet fire, forced landing in Kelowna, B.C.: safety board

VANCOUVER — The Transportation Safety Board says a broken rotor blade caused an engine fire that forced a WestJet aircraft to make an emergency landing at the airport in Kelowna, B.C.

A safety board report released Tuesday describes the incident involving a WestJet De Havilland Dash 8-400 bound for Calgary on March 3, 2023.

The aircraft left Kamloops with 74 passengers and four crew members but as it moved into cruising speed, an engine fire warning sounded in the cockpit.

The report says one of the plane’s engines experienced a “surge” and a subsequent fire in the exhaust duct, prompting the crew to declare an emergency, shut down the engine and divert to Kelowna, where the plane landed safely with one engine.