Sure, airplanes blow tires. It happens. C-GVWA went a step further in February, 2016, blowing two tires while accelerating for takeoff, resulting in a high speed rejection. More on that below. We photographed this WestJet Boeing 737-800 while plane spotting at Toronto Pearson International Airport on September 14, 2017.
For full-size, high resolution versions of any of the photos in the image gallery, simply click on the individual pictures. See below for more detailed information on C-GVWA, the Boeing 737-800 model in general and the airline.
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C-GVWA
Boeing 737-800
WestJet
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C-GVWA WestJet Boeing 737-800 Image Gallery
C-GVWA
C-GVWA took its first flight on September 26, 2013 and was delivered to WestJet on November 7, 2013. This is one of 46 Boeing 737-800 models in the WestJet fleet with two more on order. The airliner is configured for a maximum total of 168 passengers with 12 seats in premium economy (Plus) and 156 more in economy class.
On February 1, 2016, C-GVWA was to perform a flight from Vancouver, British Columbia to Kahului, Hawaii. While accelerating for takeoff, one of the left main tires exploded, followed shortly by the second left main tire. The takeoff was rejected at high speed. The B738 was disabled on the runway and passengers had to disembark at that spot. The incident resulted in the runway being closed for nearly eight hours.
Boeing 737-800
19 feet longer than the Boeing 737-700, the Boeing 737-800 entered service in 1998 and is a direct competitor to the Airbus A320. To date, this is the most popular variant in the 737 Next Generation Family with over 4,500 delivered.
The B738 is 40 metres or 130 feet in length with a wingspan of 25 metres or 118 feet. At the tail, the airliner stands 13 metres or 41 feet in height. The maximum flight range is 4,300 kilometres.
WestJet
Founded in 1996, WestJet is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The airline currently has a fleet of 121 aircraft flying to nearly 100 destinations. The fleet is mostly made of up variants of the Boeing 737 NG Family with four Boeing 767-300ER models added in. They have just taken their first two deliveries of the Boeing 737 Max 8 model and have ten Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft on order for 2019 deliveries.
WestJet currently flies to destinations in Canada, The United States, Europe, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Subsidiary WestJet Encore has a fleet of Bombardier Q400 airplanes.
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