WestJet Pays for House Damage After Ice Incident

A chunk of ice fell through a Calgary house as aircraft came on approach.

A family in Calgary, Alberta will have their home repairs paid for by Canadian carrier WestJet, after a chunk of ice fell off an aircraft and through the house. CBC News reports that the incident happened as the aircraft was coming for a landing approach at Calgary International Airport (YYC).

The occupants of the house were home at the time and watching a hockey game when the ice fell off the aircraft and through the house. The two people inside told the CBC the ice “sounded like an explosion” when it hit the home, breaking through the roof and ceiling of the home. After living at the home for over 40 years, the occupants said recent air traffic control patterns have forced aircraft to fly over their home for the past two years.

A spokesperson for the airline confirmed that the ice chunk came off their aircraft, and they were working with authorities to understand what happened. In the meantime, the airline would cover repair costs for the couple’s home. No estimate on the damages has been reported.

“A preliminary investigation of the situation with Nav Canada indicates that the ice did fall from a WestJet Encore Bombardier Q400 on approach into Calgary from Regina,” airline spokesperson Lauren Stewart told the CBC in a press release. “We are in the process of inspecting the aircraft to determine the cause of this incident and are cooperating closely with local authorities and Nav Canada.”

According to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, there is no official record of how many ice fall incidents happen in any given year, but this is not the first time a chunk of ice has fallen off an aircraft and into a house. The CBC also reported a similar incident took place in 2008, when a chunk of lavatory ice fell off an aircraft and into a house.

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