Close call for Labrador-bound flight

Passengers aboard a flight headed to western Labrador were shaken this week when their aircraft came close to another plane.

Provincial Airlines Flight 1992 was en route from St. John's to Wabush when passengers encountered what they thought was turbulence.

"It was just like an air pocket, but it lasted way longer than an air pocket and the plane kind of gave a little jerky motion and we all just started screaming and yelling," said Johanna Hibbs, the coach of a female hockey team heading home after a tournament.

"Then all of a sudden it was over."

Provincial Airlines confirms that the flight crew had reacted when a collision avoidance system warned of another plane in their airspace.

A report filed to the Transport Canada database shows that an Air Canada Jazz flight had been en route from Halifax to Gander, and was fcleared to descend to 17,000 feet. However, itcould not level off and had to drop further, and came close to the Provincial Airlines flight.

"Separation between the two aircraft was 2.5 nautical miles horizontally and 500 ft vertically," the report said.

Hibbs said the pilot told the passengers what happened during a stopover in Deer Lake.

"The indicator light came on in the plane saying that there was someone coming towards us and good thinking on Conrad, that he just dropped [in order] to avoid the other plane," she said. "So hats off to Conrad. He did a real good job."

Provincial Airlines also praised its flight crew, and told CBC News that shortly after the avoidance maneuver, air traffic controllers cleared the plane to continue on its course.

No one was injured during the incident.