Air Canada

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    Air Canada Flight Returns to Toronto Pearson International Airport

    Air CanadaAir Canada flight AC015 had to return and make an emergency landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario, Canada, at 11:30 a.m. on November 3.

    The Boeing 777, heading to Hong Kong, was returned after a cargo door indicator light turned on.

    The plane landed safely and none of the 349 passengers aboard was hurt.

    The passengers were shifted to another aircraft which took them to their destination

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    Birds Hit 3 Planes Near Laguardia Airport

    Air CanadaThree flights made emergency landings at LaGuardia Airport, New York, after they were separately hit by birds within a period of 4 hours on September 3.

    ExpressJet Flight 5400 reported bird strike shortly after 7 a.m., while it was turning to land on Runway 31. In the second incident, ExpressJet Flight 5432 was hit by the birds at about 8:53 a.m. while taxiing to the ramp and after less than 3 hours, the Air Canada 706 reported bird strike at about 11:15 a.m. while it was some 12 miles northeast of the airport.

    All three planes made safe emergency landings and no injuries to personnel or damage to property was reported.

    The FAA is investigating the incidents.

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    Istanbul-Bound Air Canada Flight Makes Unscheduled Landing at Heathrow

    Air CanadaAir Canada flight AC 810, from Toronto to Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, made an unscheduled landing at London Heathrow Airport, at 5:38 a.m. local time on August 23.

    According to the Air Canada spokesperson Isabelle Arthur, the plane was diverted as a precaution after the crew reported an ‘oil indication’. However, she did not provide details.

    Emergency services were put on alert as the plane safely touched the runway at London Heathrow. All passengers and crew members remained unhurt.

    The passengers were booked on other flights while the plane was temporarily grounded for inspection.

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    Air Canada Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Ottawa

    Air CanadaAir Canada flight AC8953 operated by Jazz Aviation made an emergency landing at Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in Ottawa, Canada, at around 6:30 a.m. ET on August 13.

    Pilots made an emergency landing after smoke was discovered in the cabin of the plane which was heading from Fredericton, New Brunswick to Toronto.

    The flight with 69 passengers and 4 crew members on board landed safely according to Ottawa Airport Authority.

    Air Canada spokesperson Debra Williams said, “Passengers were moved by ground transportation into the terminal and were booked on alternate flights to their destination. We apologize to our passengers for this incident and inconvenience.”

    Air Canada engineers will inspect the plane to determine the cause of the smoke.

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    Flight Slides off Runway


    On January 9, 2013, a Jazz Air flight operating as Air Canada Express–flying a de Havilland DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 made a safe landing at John G. Diefenbaker International Airport in Saskatchewan Canada.

    The plane was taxiing when it struck ice, and veered off runway into snow where it was mired, blocking the runway.

    The fifty-six passengers aboard evacuated with the assistance of emergency crews at about 6:30 after waiting about half an hour for a Saskatoon Transit bus from Tarmac to the gate. Weather conditions at the time were reported as heavy fog causing and near zero visibility in Saskatoon. It looks really cold, doesn’t it?

    This image was tweeted:

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    Air Canada Jazz Suffers Engine Fire Just After Takeoff


    photographer Jason Whitebird

    On December 12, 2013, an Air Canada Jazz de Havilland Canada DHC-8-311 took off from Nanaimo Airport en route to Vancouver when the plane developed an engine fire.

    Fire broke out over open water when the plane reached cruising altitude minutes after leaving the airport. Passengers reported hearing a loud bang, and on the side of the plane, they saw flames from the affected engine.

    The pilot shut down the engine, and they made a safe landing. The crew also discovered an engine oil problem just prior to the fire.

    This was the first emergency landing at the Nanaimo Airport, which was shut down for four hours after the incident. Emergency services responded to the scene. Passengers used stairs to exit.

    Passengers spoke positively about the crew. No one was injured.

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    Pilots Ignore ATC Directions, Hear Audio

    On March 11, 2013, an Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Edmonton to Toronto,ON was on approach when ATC informed the pilots to abort the landing. Ground radar indicated something moving on the runway. Pilots continued to make the landing, and ignored ATC.

    Mechanics working on a Sunwing Boeing had left a van running and in gear, which subsequently rolled without a driver across the runway. At some point, the van impacted the Sunwing 737.

    In George’s Point of View


    While we can’t make assumptions, apparently the pilots saw the van safely flew over it and made a secure landing.

    However, there are a lot of errors here that could have been disaster. We are glad no one was injured. Safety first, everyone!

    • The maintenance crew for failing to secure their vehicle.
    • ATC for not using the call sign, even if it was evident to them who they were speaking to.
    • Pilots for ignoring ATC even if they saw the “threat” because there could have been an additional alert

    That said, of course we are glad no one was injured.

    Click Triangle below to hear audio

    [sc_embed_player fileurl=”https://airflightdisaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Air-Canada-178-Ignores-Go-Around.mp3″]

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    Air Canada Engine Spews Parts


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Francisco Muro

    What: Air Canada Boeing 777-333ER
    Where: Toronto Canada
    When: May 28 2012
    Who: 318 passengers, 16 crew
    Why: After a louder than normal take-off, fifteen minutes into the flight, pilots of the Air Canada Boeing en route from Toronto to Japan shut off an engine. Witnesses reported smoke and fire coming from the right engine.

    The flight had to return to Toronto following engine problems. Falling bits of engine debris “hot bits of blackened metal” fell from the sky and caused some damage to parked vehicles near Derry and Kennedy Rds in Mississauga. The entire circuit of the flight took about an hour and a half.

    There were no injuries on the flight, but emergency services were on standby on landing, in expectation of trauma.

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    Drunken Fliers Pay Bigtime


    What: Air Canada flight en route from Toronto to Beijing
    Where: Vancouver
    Who: George Campbell of Conestogo and 38-year-old Paul Alexander Wilson
    Why: The two, both apparently employed by RIM, (Research in Motion, the company that introduced the Blackberry in 1999), were suspended after their drunkenness aboard an Air Canada flight forced pilots to divert to Vancouver. The two alleged drunks were also held responsible in paying Air Canada over &70,000 in hotel fees and restitution for delaying the flight.

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    Embraer Flaps Down Landing in Montreal

    What: Air Canada Embraer 180 en route from Halifax
    Where: Trudeau Airport, Montreal Canada
    When: October 24, 2011, 9:00 am
    Why: While en route from Halifax, the pilots received an indication that the flaps were not performing.

    The flight diverted to Trudeau airport where the plane made a safe if high-speed landing with emergency vehicles on standby.

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    Air Canada Turbulence Injures 9


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Alevik

    What: Air Canada Airbus A330-300 en route from Toronto to Montreal
    Where: Montreal Canada
    When: Sep 25th 2011
    Who: 257 aboard, 9 injured
    Why: On approach to Montreal, the Air Canada flight encountered turbulence.
    Six members of the cabin crew were injured in the turbulence. Three passengers were injured.

    On landing in Montreal, there was a 105 minute delay, after which the cabin crew could not work. Alternative crew members, presumably worked the next leg of the flight to Brussels

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    Air Canada Returns to Sydney after Smoke Aboard

    What: Air Canada Boeing 777 en route from Sydney to Toronto
    Where: Sydney
    When: Jul 27 2011
    Who: 262 passengers
    Why: The plane was en route when crew members smelled smoke in the aft galley. The pilots turned around and returned to Sydney where they made a safe landing.

    Initial reports indicated fire but no fire was found. No injures were reported, and there was no need for Emergency services who were on standby as they were landing.

    Crews are examining the plane.

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    Jazz Rocky Ride over Montreal


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Gustavo Corujo – Gusair

    What: Air Canada Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-100 en route from Rouyn,QC to Montreal,QC
    Where: Montreal
    When: Jun 28th 2011
    Who: 28 aboard
    Why: Thirty minutes outside of Montreal, the flight encountered thunder storms which caused severe turbulence lasting about two minutes.

    The flight landed safely in Montreal.

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    Air Canada Engine Shut Down, Diverts to Montreal


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Tokyo Spotter

    What: Air Canada Boeing 767-300 en route from Halifax to London Heathrow
    Where: Montreal
    When: Jun 2nd 2011
    Who: 138 aboard
    Why: After takeoff, the left engine emitted a loud explosive noise. Pilots shut down the engine but weather prevented a return to Halifax. The flight diverted to Montreal where it made a safe landing between two and three hours later. A replacement jet was sent to Montreal for passengers, resulting in a 13 hour delay on that flight.

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    CRJ Makes Cautious Landing in Halifax With Unknown Haze

    What: Air Canada Jazz Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Halifax, NS to St. John’s
    Where: Halifax
    When: Mar 14th 2011
    Who: 42 passengers and 3 crew
    Why: After takeoff, the cabin was temporarily obscured by some kind of haze.

    The pilots returned to Halifax and made a safe landing. Passengers were booked on other flights. The plane was taken for maintenance to locate the source of the problem. Responding to haze is frequently termed “abundance of caution.”

    Haze can be an air conditioning problem, an electrical power source problem, but most frequently in icy weather, de-icing fluid can get into an air intake, causing a “vanishing” mist.

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    Display Failure Aboard Airbus: Now What?


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Paul Carlotti

    What: Air Canada Airbus A319-100 en route from Toronto to Winnipeg
    Where: Sault Ste Marie
    When: Mar 8 2011
    Who: 125 aboard
    Why: While en route, the plane was over Canada when the displays quit. The loss of the displays is being attributed to an electronic power failure. (Wonder if there was a short or if it was something else?) The displays were only offline for less than a minute, and subsequently began flashing error messages. Pilots continued on to Winnipeg and managed to land safely. The plane was taken out of commission in order to have an Airbus inspection to determine what exactly was going on.

    Flying an Airbus without electronic displays is, I think, tantamount to suicide. I am surprised they didn’t divert somewhere and land immediately. Is it not somewhat risky to continue flying an airbus when the display connections are flakey? This same sort of thing happened on a BMI Airbus A321. Apparently catastrophic failure in rough conditions is not unheard of. In fact, rough conditions are not required to cause the need for a reboot. The term for “rebooting” an airbus that has lost its electronics is called “recycling,” a common enough thing that there is recognizable pilot humor regarding it.

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    Boeing Turbulence off coastal Ireland


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Erezms

    What: Air Canada Boeing 767-300 en route from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Zurich
    Where: over Atlantic
    When: Jan 14th 20118 am
    Who: 10 passengers, 2 crew
    Why: While en route to Switzerland, off the coast of Ireland and three hours out of Zurich, the plane encountered clear air turbulence, tossing passengers who were not buckled in 3 feet above their seats.

    A passenger who was a doctor attended the ten passengers and two crew members who were injured. The plane continued on to make a safe landing in Zurich. Seven of those injured were hospitalized but they were all minor injuries.

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    15 injured by turbulence

    What: Air Canada Boeing 767-300, registration C-GHLQ performing flight AC-878 from Toronto,ON to Zurich
    Where: Atlantic
    When: Jan 14th 201
    Who: 103 aboard
    Why: While en route, 40 minutes after the seat belt light was turned on, the flight encountered clear severe air turbulence. Two crew members were injured, and 13 passengers. 7 individuals were injured enough to be admitted to the hospital on arrival in Zurich.

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    Air Canada Encounters Turbulence

    What: Air Canada jet en route from Phoenix,AZ to Toronto,ON
    Where: Pueblo Colorado
    When: Dec 19th 2010
    Who: 98 aboard
    Why: Over Pueblo Colorado, the plane encountered mountain wave turbulence resulting in a 600 foot uncommanded descent. The crew recovered and continued to land safely in Toronto.

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    Air Canada Wake Turbulence


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Frank Robitaille

    What: Air Canada Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-300 en route from Calgary Edmonton
    Where: Edmonton
    When: Dec 19th 2010
    Who: 3 aboard
    Why: While on autopilot approach to Edmonton and flying 6-7 nautical miles behind a Boeing 767-300, the plane was affected adversely by wake turbulence.

    The crew disengaged autopilot and recovered from a 30 degree roll to make a safe landing.

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    Air Canada Boeing Returns to Vancouver

    What: Air Canada Boeing 777 en route from Vancouver to Toronto
    Where: Vancouver International Airport
    When: Dec 16, 2010
    Who: 224 passengers
    Why: While en route, the Boeing developed an oil pressure problem (indicator) in one of the engines. No smoke was reported.

    The pilots returned to Vancouver and made a safe landing. No injuries were reported. Passengers disembarked and boarded another plane which left for Toronto around noon.

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    Jazz Rejects Takeoff


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Carlos Vaz

    What: Air Canada Jazz Canadair CRJ-100 en route from Montreal to Charlottetown
    Where: Montreal
    When: Dec 6th 2010
    Who: 46 aboard
    Why: On takeoff, the pilots were reported smoke in the cabin and flight deck and rejected takeoff.

    The flight was cancelled. Passengers disembarked after the plane taxied to the gate. The problem was attributed to deicing fluid ingested into the engine.

    George’s Point of View

    My maintenance guys tell me that this is a technical maintenance issue.