An Air Canada Boeing Flight AC872 bound for Paris experienced a mid-air fire shortly after taking off from Toronto Pearson Airport on the evening of June 5. The incident, which occurred thirty minutes into the flight, could have ended in tragedy but was successfully managed by the aircrew as the flight made immediate landing.
The plane departed from its gate at 8:46 pm but had to circle back and land at Toronto Pearson Airport at 9:50 pm. The distressing event unfolded as the aircraft was ascending from the runway, with viral video footage capturing a flash of light from the right engine, followed by a small explosion that set the tail of the plane ablaze.
As many as 389 passengers, along with a crew of 13 were onboard the Boeing 777 aircraft when the incident happened. After the
What Air Canada said:
Giving details about the incident, Air Canada issued a statement saying, “Flight AC872 from Toronto to Paris on June 5 returned to Toronto shortly after departure due to an engine issue that was determined to be a compressor stall. The aircraft landed normally, and it was met by first responder vehicles as a precaution before it taxied to the gate on its own. Passengers were accommodated on another aircraft later that same evening. There were 389 passengers and 13 crew onboard the Boeing 777 aircraft.”
It further stated that the video which went viral on social media shows the engine at the point of compressor stall adding that it can happen with a turbine engine when its aerodynamics are affected. According to Air Canada, such a thing can happen due to various factors, but the result is the flow of air through the engine is disrupted, causing fuel to ignite further down the engine, which is why flames are visible in the video.
The airline added, “It is not the engine itself on fire. Our pilots are highly skilled professionals well trained to safely manage such incidents and in this case, the situation was quickly stabilized as per our standard procedures and the aircraft landed normally,” Air Canada added.
ALSO READ | Air India flight returns to Delhi after fire in auxiliary power unit, full emergency declared at IGI airport