Oregon Public Broadcasting

If you're planning to fly on Horizon Air today you'll want to make sure your flight hasn't been canceled.Horizon grounded 19 of its Bombardier Q-400 turbo-prop planes for safety inspection, after two crash landings of similar planes in Europe in the past three days. Those planes experienced problems with their landing gear.The inspection required the cancellation of 100 Horizon flights scheduled for today.

Spokeswoman Jen Boyer says until more is understood about the incidents in Europe, grounding the planes was the only option.Jen Boyer: "We didn't want to take any chances here.  The safety of our passengers and our crew is paramount to anything.  So we want to  look at these aircraft and make sure that they are safe before we take off again.”  

Boyer says it's not clear how long the planes may be grounded. The inspection work is taking place at Horizon's Portland and Spokane ground facilities.The airline recently expanded its use of the Bombardier Q-400 planes in the Northwest.  

Not all Horizon flights are affected. The airline has a total fleet of 76 planes serving the western U-S, British Columbia and Alberta.