The Gentleman Report
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An Air Canada Specific flight “skilled a suspected touchdown equipment factor” after arriving at Halifax Stanfield Global Airport in Nova Scotia on Saturday night time, regardless that no accidents have been reported, in keeping with the airline.
Flight AC2259 – which took off from St. John’s, Newfoundland – was once therefore “not able to achieve the terminal and consumers have been offloaded the use of a bus,” Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick mentioned in a observation to The Gentleman Report. The flight, operated via spouse PAL Airways, was once wearing 73 passengers, the observation mentioned.
The aircraft – a De Havilland DHC-8-402, in keeping with the Transportation Protection Board of Canada – skidded down the runway for a “first rate” distance, and passengers noticed flames at the airplane’s left aspect, passenger Nikki Valentine instructed The Gentleman Report newsgathering spouse CBC.
“The aircraft shook somewhat slightly and we began seeing hearth at the left aspect of the aircraft and smoke began coming within the home windows,” Valentine mentioned.
The Halifax incident echoed a much more serious – and fatal – incident in South Korea on Sunday morning native time, when a Jeju Air flight crash-landed at Muan Global Airport, killing 179 folks. Officers and aviation mavens say a touchdown equipment malfunction seems most likely in that incident.
Whilst nobody was once harm in Halifax, “we preferred this incident was once unsettling for purchasers and we stay to be had to help them,” Air Canada’s observation mentioned.
The airfield was once closed for approximately 90 mins sooner than considered one of its two runways was once cleared for flight operations, Tiffany Chase, a spokesperson for the Halifax Global Airport Authority, mentioned in a observation.
“4 flights have been diverted and there have been a handful of cancellations and delays whilst the airfield was once closed,” she added.
The incident will likely be investigated via the Transportation Protection Board of Canada, which in a realize Sunday mentioned it was once deploying a staff of investigators to the airport. They’re anticipated to reach later Sunday.
Within the interim, the airplane stays at the runway, Chase mentioned. Air Canada is looking ahead to the Transportation Protection Board to unlock the airplane sooner than returning consumers’ property.
The reason for the suspected touchdown equipment factor is unknown, the airline mentioned, including, “Out of appreciate for the investigative procedure we can’t speculate and haven’t any more information to offer at the moment.”
This tale has been up to date with more information.
