WestJet 737 Hard Landing at Popular Plane Spotting Destination
By Airline Ratings Tue Sep 9, 2025
A WestJet Boeing 737-800, registration C-GWSR, operating as flight WS2276 from Toronto (YYZ) to Sint Maarten (SXM), experienced a landing gear collapse on arrival at Princess Juliana International Airport on September 8, 2025.
The aircraft, carrying 164 passengers and crew, touched down on runway 10 at 13:28 local time (17:28 UTC) when its right main landing gear collapsed. The crew managed to keep the jet on the runway, bringing it to a stop on the nose gear, left main gear, and right engine nacelle.
Emergency services responded within minutes. Although there was no fire, crews doused the aircraft with water as a precaution. After about eight minutes, the evacuation slides were deployed, and passengers exited safely onto the tarmac.
The airport confirmed that there were no serious injuries, though three individuals were taken for medical evaluation. The aircraft sustained damage to the right wing. The return flight WS2277 was cancelled.
WestJet said in a statement:
“WestJet flight 2276, operating from Toronto, experienced a hard landing upon arrival at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) at 17:29 UTC today. The passengers were evacuated via slides; there are no reported injuries.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has launched an investigation and dispatched a team to Sint Maarten.
Video footage, captured on Sint Maarten’s official livestream partner SHOWME Caribbean (YouTube), shows the right main gear collapsing on touchdown. The aircraft continued along the runway before stopping, where it was quickly surrounded by emergency vehicles.
The Boeing 737-800 was delivered to WestJet in 2009, making it 16.6 years old at the time of the incident. The aircraft had no prior history of accidents.
Westjet has always had a seven star safety rating on AirlineRatings and this incident will not effect that rating at this stage.
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