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Canadian North pilots turned back immediately when a fire warning light on board a Boeing 737, similar to this one, turned on during a flight from Edmonton to Yellowknife on Dec. 28. The plane landed without incident. The airline later determined the warning light was malfunctioning. - photo courtesy of Canadian North

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
An emergency was declared on board a Yellowknife-bound passenger jet last Friday, prompting the crew to turn the airliner back to Edmonton.

About 85 passengers were on board the Canadian North Flight 422 when, about 45 minutes into the flight, they were informed that the Boeing 737-200 would be turning around.

"It was scary," said one passenger who did not want to be named. "When we landed, fire trucks were there instantly."

The emergency action was prompted by a fire warning light, which was later found to be malfunctioning, according to Canadian North spokesperson Lisa Hicks.

"Our crew had a fire light warning and they took necessary precautions. It's just standard operating procedure when you get that kind of a warning to declare an emergency and take precautions and it all turned out fine."

The light has since been fixed, Hicks added.

The flight, which was scheduled to arrive in Yellowknife after 9 p.m. that night, was rescheduled for the next day.

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