Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) in St. Maarten has announced the successful removal of the WestJet Boeing 737-800 aircraft from its runway, following an incident on Sunday, September 7, 2025. The aircraft experienced a landing gear collapse upon touchdown, forcing an immediate shutdown of airport operations. A specialized recovery team from WestJet worked diligently to extricate the aircraft, with airport officials confirming that the runway was cleared and inspected, allowing for the resumption of flight operations by Monday, September 8, 2025.
The incident occurred around 1:29 PM local time when WestJet flight WS2276, arriving from Toronto, Canada, encountered a catastrophic failure of its right main landing gear. The aircraft skidded down the runway, coming to a halt with its right engine supporting the plane’s weight. Fortunately, all 164 passengers and crew members were safely evacuated using emergency slides, with only three individuals requiring medical assessment as a precaution. No fire was reported, thanks to the swift response of airport emergency crews who deployed fire suppression foam.
The emergency response to the incident has been widely praised for its professionalism and efficiency. St. Maarten’s Prime Minister, Dr. Luc Mercelina, commended the “swift response” of all involved stakeholders, emphasizing that the safety of travelers and aviation personnel was the highest priority. The Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten, also visited the airport to thank those who responded. A full debriefing with all stakeholders is planned to review the incident and enhance future protocols.
Though it was removed on Monday afternoon from the area of runway where it came to a stop, the Boeing 737-800 plane remains dormant on the airport’s tarmac, awaiting repair or further movement. The impact reportedly damaged the right wing of the aircraft, and videos released by the airport showed collapsed landing gear on the right side. The investigation into the exact cause of the landing gear collapse is ongoing. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has dispatched a team of investigators to St. Maarten to assist in determining the root cause. WestJet has stated its full cooperation with local authorities in the investigation.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed it is sending a team of investigators to Sint Maarten to assess the cause of the hard landing. Investigators will gather information on what led to the suspected landing gear failure and examine aircraft systems and operational procedures.
The black boxes need to be interrogated with proper equipment that likely doesn’t exist on the small island, so they will need to be brought back to Canada. The final, comprehensive report produced by Canada’s safety board could take up to a year.
Aviation experts suggest that repairing the Boeing 737-800 may be a challenging project given the island’s resources. Repairs to the aircraft would go beyond fixing parts that were broken upon impact and resetting the inflatable slides that were let out. “They’re going to need to check and see whether there’s any other collateral damage to the aircraft and to the structure of the fuselage,” according to engineering professor Doug Perovic.
Repairing the aircraft on the small and isolated island of St. Maarten presents logistical challenges. Aviation experts suggest that materials and specialized personnel may need to be transported from Canada, making it a complex and potentially costly endeavour. (westernwheel.ca) If the plane cannot be fixed, it may need to be scrapped.
Sunday’s closure had a significant impact on regional travellers with St. Maarten government-owned airline Winair, which had to cancel at least 13 afternoon and evening flights. Delta Airlines flight 1894 and JetBlue flight 6887 were forced to divert to San Juan, Puerto Rico, due to the accident. The successful removal of the aircraft from the runway allowed normal airport operations to resume, though the damaged aircraft remains on the airport tarmac while decisions are made about its future repair or disposal.
