A STAR Marianas flight bound for Saipan from Rota with six passengers and two crewmembers suffered a “mechanical problem” as it was about to land Saturday afternoon at the Saipan airport, one of the passengers told Variety.
The plane, a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, was just above the south end of the Saipan airport when the pilot aborted the landing.
The plane departed Rota’s Benjamin Taisacan Manglona International Airport at 11:59 a.m. on Saturday.
One of the passengers said it was a slightly bumpy ride and as the plane approached the Saipan airport at 12:26 noon it suddenly ascended to a higher altitude, which surprised the passengers.
“It was surreal,” one of them said.
He said according to a crewmember, who was seated next to the pilot, she was told that the plane’s landing gear retracted or could not be deployed as it was about to land at the Saipan airport. The pilot then aborted the landing.
A passenger said the pilot had to consult a checklist of safety measures and then manually pull a mechanical lever while the plane was climbing and turning around. The pilot then re-checked the checklist, the passenger added.
What followed was nearly 11 minutes of mental stress as the plane stayed in the air, the passenger said.
Eventually, the plane’s landing gear was deployed, and it landed safely.
“It was traumatic for the passengers,” one of them told Variety. “We were still shocked as we disembarked in the Star Marianas arrival area, but no one assisted us or provided any support.”
‘Everything was good’
Asked for comment, Star Marianas Air President Shaun Christian on Monday said: “At no point was there a safety issue in the flight from Rota to Saipan on Saturday.”
He said the pilot performed a backup procedure when he noticed an “abnormal indication” with the landing gear.
Christian said the pilot followed the guidelines or the checklist to see whether the pilot was providing an accurate warning indication. It turned out that everything was good, and the aircraft landed safely, Christian added.
He said a backup procedure occurring in the cockpit does not always mean there is a safety issue with the flight, and it is not something that necessarily alarms the public.
