Runway goes dark at airport, flight diverted to Michigan

An undetermined electrical issue at the Sault Ste. Marie Airport caused a flight to be diverted to Michigan in the wee hours of Monday morning.

An incoming Air Canada flight from Toronto was scheduled to land in Sault Ste. Marie around midnight last night, but the runway lights were not working. 

Sault Ste. Marie Airport president and CEO Terry Bos says that the airport was notified at approximately 12:40 a.m. that the runway was dark.  

The electrical issue was resolved a little more than an hour later.

“Our guys were able to turn the lights back on manually, but the plane had already left the area," Bos told SooToday. 

An official with Pellston Regional Airport in Pellston, Michigan has confirmed that the Air Canada flight touched down at the small, northern Michigan airport - located between Mackinaw City and Petoskey - at approximately 1 a.m. Monday morning.

The flight eventually reached the Sault Ste. Marie Airport sometime between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m.

Bos says that it's rare that a flight is diverted to the United States. 

“No, not very often at all,” Bos said. “I was kind of surprised they picked an American designate instead of going to somewhere like Sudbury and then coming back in.”

The Sault Ste. Marie Airport is investigating.