An Air Canada flight overshot the runway after a hard landing, and passengers saw flames
An Air Canada plane had a “hard landing” on Saturday night, according to officials, causing the plane to come down the runway in a slow burn, filled with smoke.
Air Canada Flight 2259 – operated by partner regional carrier PAL Airlines – departed from St. John's International Airport in Newfoundland on Saturday evening for a two-hour flight to Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia. There were 73 passengers on board.
After landing, the De Havilland DHC-8-402 experienced a “landing gear problem,” an Air Canada spokesperson told USA TODAY in an email Monday. The airline added that the cause is “currently unknown” and an investigation will be conducted by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, Air Canada and PAL.
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An Air Canada Express flight
Another passenger, Nikki Valentine, told Canadian news agency CBC News that the plane landed to the left and she heard “what almost sounded like a plane crash” as the plane's left wing hit the road. The plane then continued to glide a “respectable” distance.
“The plane shook a little and we started to see fire on the left side of the plane and smoke started to enter the windows,” said Valentine.
Passengers and crew were evacuated following the rough landing. “Because of this, the plane could not reach the airport and customers were dropped off using a bus,” said the airline. “No one was reported injured, but we are thankful that this incident did not cause concern for customers and we are still available to help them.”
The incident closed the airport for about 90 minutes that night. Flight attendants have been unloading the cabin and checked bags to reunite them with the passengers.
TSB investigators arrived on the scene Sunday to move the plane to a safe location and will facilitate an “examination of the aircraft, focusing particularly on the left wing,” the agency told USA TODAY in an email. The TSB said it would also investigate other factors affecting people, weather, the aircraft's maintenance history and the aircraft's management.
The incident happened just a day before the Jeju Air plane crashed at the Muan International Airport on Sunday, killing only two of the 181 people on board. Although the cause of the crash is still under investigation, aviation experts recently told USA TODAY that fatal plane crashes are “extremely rare.”
“Commercial aviation statistically remains the safest form of transportation,” said aviation industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, adding that the global aviation industry is “very collaborative” on best practices and safety issues.
This article first appeared in USA TODAY: Air Canada plane skids off runway during hard landing, bursts into flames
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