SkyWest Airlines flight lands safely at the Houghton County Airport with smoke in cargo hold
By Greg Peterson Upper Peninsula Breaking News Owner, News Director 906-273-2433
A smoke-filled SkyWest Airlines flight made an emergency landing about 11:37 p.m. tonight Wed., Dec. 6, 2017 at the Houghton County Airport.
Emergency officials were told before the plane landed it was a “Sky Watch Flight.”In fact, the dispatcher asked a fire official: “Is this a commercial airline?” Officials responding to the scene were told the pilots reported smoke in the cargo hold.
Once on the ground officials discovered it was the regularly scheduled Sky West Airlines flight. No word on how many passengers were on the plane.
“All the passengers are off the plane,” radioed one fire official on the scene. “It is filled with smoke.”
Among those paged to the airport were the Hancock Fire Department and the Quincy Volunteer Fire Department.
A dispatcher paging fire departments to respond before the landing – added “this is not a drill.” This because there was an active-shooter drill this week (Monday) at the U.P. Health System – Portage hospital.
All passengers are out of the plane – it landed safely full of smoke.
No one has been hurt
By Greg Peterson Upper Peninsula Breaking News Owner, News Director 906-273-2433
Numerous Houghton County emergency officials have been paged to the airport Reports of a SkyWest flight making an emergency landing The pilots reported smoke SkyWest airlines flight smoke in cargo area
Just heard from a public affairs officer from the 128th Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee.
Investigation continues, plans are to fly the KC-135 home by the end of the week.
PA Staff Sgt. Jenna Lenski says the 5 emergency landing incidents (in 2 years) by the wing’s KC-135 are not connected even though they all involved a hydraulic problem.
Sgt. Lenski said the crews keep the engines in tip top shape – and she played down the idea of an aging fleet being a factor in the emergency landings.
The 128th Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee has 10 KC-135s.
Sgt. Lenski stated the two KC-135s were on routine training mission and flying a large circle (between Milwaukee and the Great Lakes) refueling jets etc.
One of the Air National Guard planes had emergency – and landed at KI Sawyer – and the other kept training by doing touch-and-goes while waiting to get their orders.
Lenski said there were no plans to stop at KI Sawyer or do touch-ands goes until the in flight emergency.
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The following exclusive information was not reported yet by Upper Peninsula TV stations and other media.
Many safety questions remain and a military plane is officially grounded after an emergency in the skies over Marquette County, Michigan on Tues. July 8, 2014
The emergency landing of a KC-135 refueling tanker is the latest in a series of similar hydraulic incidents involving the aging fleet of Milwaukee’s 128th Air Refueling Wing, Upper Peninsula Breaking News has learned.
Veteran Investigative Reporter Greg Peterson has the story:
Essentially a flying gas station – this Air National Guard KC-135 is grounded – following an emergency that has happened at least 5 times in the past two years to KC 135 refueling tankers from the 128th Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee.
That’s right – at least 5 times in the past two years – a KC-135 from the 128th has developed hydraulic problems resulting in emergency landings at airports around the Midwest.
The tankers are all about 50 years old.
In fact in June 2013, a reporter for Milwaukee Television station WISN TV-12 investigated a rash of KC-135 emergency landings after hydraulic warning.
Upper Peninsula Breaking News called the 128th’s public affairs office to verify this important safety problem.
With overcast skies, the three-member crew of this KC-135 declared a hydraulic emergency:
Chief Don Hutchens, Forsyth Township Volunteer Fire Department:
Emergency officials from across Marquette County responded to the plane’s call for help – fearing it might crash while landing – which would have been catastrophic.
The KC -135 was among several planes from the 128th Refueling Wing that have been practicing touch and goes on KI Sawyer’s long runways.
Now the Marquette County Airport, the once vibrant K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base was a Strategic Air Command base – constantly on alert – with bomber crews ready to fly in moments.
This reporter has had the pleasure of riding on two KC-135 Refueling Tankers – as show in this photo when I worked at WLUC TV-6 in Marquette.
We refueled F-16 Jets over Lake Huron.
Then this reporter became one of only a handful of civilians to ride aboard a B-52 Bomber – this while I did features stories for the Mining Journal newspaper.
I was given this official coin of the Sawyer bomber wing and a patch – after as 12-hour flight that included Fourth of July Parades and an airshow in Grand Rapids.
This reporter hopes the officials at Milwaukee’s 128th Air Refueling Wing get to the bottom of this hydraulic issues before there is a tragedy – as the large number of emergencies on this flying gas station is scary to all involved.
Upper Peninsula Breaking News by Greg Peterson 