Canada-Mexico flight makes emergency US stop

HELENA, Montana – A flight heading to Mexico from Canada with 181 passengers and six crew members aboard made an emergency medical landing Sunday in the western U.S. after encountering extreme turbulence that slightly injured two flight attendants.

Sunwing Airlines spokeswoman Janine Chapman said the Boeing 737 landed at Helena Regional Airport, a small hub in Montana unaccustomed to dealing with international travelers. The passengers waited in the aircraft for more than five hours before being told to stay in a cordoned-off area in the terminal as the company dispatched another plane to continue the journey.

Chapman said a medical team cleared a 27-year-old male flight attendant who received a cut on his head during the turbulence but didn’t need stitches. He was in an aisle serving passengers when the turbulence hit.

Responders also checked on a 27-year-old female flight attendant, who was also serving passengers and fell to the floor, Chapman said. The medical team prescribed over-the-counter pain medication.

Chapman said the captain had the seat belt sign on, and no passengers were injured.

Chapman said the passengers who boarded Flight 559 in Edmonton, Alberta, were mostly families and couples heading to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for vacation.

After landing in Helena, passengers waited for hours on the tarmac because a customs agent couldn’t immediately get to the airport.

Helena Regional Airport Director Ron Mercer said the airport has one agent who wasn’t available Sunday, so another one made a 90-minute drive. He said the airport doesn’t typically deal with international commercial flights, so the customs agent had to make sure international rules were followed before the passengers could get off the plane.

Another aircraft has been sent from the company’s headquarters in Toronto to pick up the passengers so the initial plane can be examined for damage, Chapman said, a move she called customary after severe turbulence is encountered.

The second jet and a new crew were expected to arrive in Helena on Sunday evening, pick up the passengers and take off for Mexico.