Close X
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
ADVT 
National

Jet That Crashed Short Of Halifax Runway Was Mechanically Sound: Report

The Canadian Press, 16 Jun, 2015 11:49 AM
    HALIFAX — There were no mechanical problems with an Air Canada passenger jet that crashed about 200 metres short of the runway at the Halifax airport in March, the Transportation Safety Board says in a preliminary report released Tuesday.
     
    The independent board issued a statement saying the Airbus 320-200 was correctly configured for landing, its air speed was consistent with a normal approach and there were no mechanical deficiencies with its engines, flight controls, landing gear and navigation systems.
     
    "During the review of the aircraft's maintenance records, no discrepancies were noted," the board said.
     
    However, the board confirmed that the weather was poor at the time.
     
    At 12:15 a.m. local time on March 29, the wind was gusting at 48 kilometres per hour from the north-northwest and forward visibility was 800 metres amid snow and drifting snow, the statement says.
     
    As well, the board says vertical visibility above the ground was just 91 metres.
     
    The jet's flight-data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been examined, but the board says it has yet to look into pilot training, experience and "human performance aspects."
     
    The board's ongoing investigation will also include producing an animation of the flight profile, completing a site survey illustration, examining key aircraft components and reviewing cabin crashworthiness and the passenger evacuation procedures, among other things.
     
    "Should the investigation team uncover a safety deficiency that represents an immediate risk to aviation, the board will communicate without delay so it may be addressed quickly and the aviation system made safer," the board says.
     
    Flight 624 from Toronto had 133 passengers and five crew members on board.
     
    During its approach to Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the aircraft was being guided to Runway 05 by a so-called localizer approach procedure. This procedure provides pilots with only lateral guidance to align the aircraft with the runway, the board said.
     
    As the plane neared the runway at low altitude, its engines severed overhead power lines, cutting power to the airport, and the jet's main landing gear and rear fuselage hit the snow-covered ground about 225 metres before the runway threshold.
     
    The aircraft then struck a localizer antenna and hit the ground in a "nose-down attitude" about 70 metres before the runway threshold, the board says.
     
    "It then bounced and slid along the runway, coming to rest on the left side of the runway about 570 metres beyond the threshold," the report says. "The passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft; 25 people sustained injuries and were taken to local hospitals."
     
    Though the airliner was badly damaged, there was no fire.
     
    A subsequent examination of the fuselage showed the cabin floor had been punctured from below in two places by "aircraft structure."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Man Who Jumped Into Fraser River To Save Wife Found Dead Near Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal

    Man Who Jumped Into Fraser River To Save Wife Found Dead Near Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal
    VANCOUVER — Police say the body pulled from the water near a ferry terminal south of Vancouver is that of a 74-year-old man who fell into a nearby river.

    Man Who Jumped Into Fraser River To Save Wife Found Dead Near Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal

    B.C. Doctor, Geoffrey Harding, Stabbed To Death At His Bahamian Vacation Home

    B.C. Doctor, Geoffrey Harding, Stabbed To Death At His Bahamian Vacation Home
    CHETWYND, B.C. — A B.C. doctor who was stabbed to death in the Bahamas is being remembered as a family patriarch and a man who made many medical contributions in the province.

    B.C. Doctor, Geoffrey Harding, Stabbed To Death At His Bahamian Vacation Home

    Assault Charge Laid In Truno, Nova Scotia After Woman Allegedly Burned With Hot Pizza

    Assault Charge Laid In Truno, Nova Scotia After Woman Allegedly Burned With Hot Pizza
    TRURO, N.S. — A 29-year-old woman has been charged with assault with a weapon for allegedly smearing a hot pizza into the face of another woman early Sunday morning in Truro, N.S.

    Assault Charge Laid In Truno, Nova Scotia After Woman Allegedly Burned With Hot Pizza

    Japanese Reactor Radiation Detected On The Shores Of Vancouver Island But It's Not Dangerous: Expert

    Japanese Reactor Radiation Detected On The Shores Of Vancouver Island But It's Not Dangerous: Expert
    VICTORIA — Radiation from the leaking Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan has been detected on the shores of Vancouver Island.

    Japanese Reactor Radiation Detected On The Shores Of Vancouver Island But It's Not Dangerous: Expert

    Statue Of Homeless Jesus Made By Ontario Sculptor Prompts Donations

    Statue Of Homeless Jesus Made By Ontario Sculptor Prompts Donations
    BUFFALO, N.Y. — A statue made by an Ontario sculptor that depicts a homeless Jesus sleeping on a park bench in downtown Buffalo has prompted people to leave money, food and other items.

    Statue Of Homeless Jesus Made By Ontario Sculptor Prompts Donations

    Canadian Couple Sues US-Based Sperm Bank After Donor Info Allegedly Not Fully Disclosed

    Canadian Couple Sues US-Based Sperm Bank After Donor Info Allegedly Not Fully Disclosed
    TORONTO — A Canadian couple is suing a U.S.-based sperm bank after allegedly learning that the donor they used through the company is a schizophrenic with a criminal record.

    Canadian Couple Sues US-Based Sperm Bank After Donor Info Allegedly Not Fully Disclosed