Suspected flat tire forces Rise Air flight to land in Saskatoon

There were some anxious moments in the sky for passengers aboard a Rise Air flight when the aircraft made an unexpected detour Thursday.

The airline said in an email that shortly after takeoff from Prince Albert, operations control received a call at 12:55 p.m. that the crew suspected the aircraft had a flat tire.

It circled back to the airport, but a tire deflation was not observed by staff on the ground.

As a precaution, the flight was diverted to Saskatoon. Upon further inspection, it was discovered both tires were fully inflated.

“The suspected deflation did not affect the flying of the aircraft and the passengers on board were briefed on the reason for the diversion to Saskatoon,” the airline stated in a release.

The aircraft, with capacity for 68 passengers, landed normally in Saskatoon without incident at 2 p.m.

“Our customer and the relevant safety authorities have been contacted and apprised of the situation,” the airline said.

“Additionally, a safety management system (SMS) report will be submitted, and a full inspection of the aircraft will be completed.”

Rise Air serves northern Saskatchewan offering daily commercial flights from Saskatoon, Prince Albert, La Ronge, Stony Rapids, Fond-du-Lac, Uranium City and Wollaston Lake.

The company was formed in 2021 after a merger between Transwest Air and West Wind Aviation. That same year, the Transportation Safety Board released the final report into the 2017 fatal Fond-du-Lac plane crash.