An Air Canada Express flight experienced a “suspected landing gear issue” after landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia on Saturday night. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, the airline confirmed.
Flight AC2259, which departed from St. John’s, Newfoundland, was unable to reach the terminal after landing. Passengers were offloaded using buses, according to Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick. The flight, operated by partner PAL Airlines, was carrying 73 passengers at the time.
The aircraft, a De Havilland DHC-8-402, skidded along the runway for a significant distance before passengers reported seeing flames on the left side of the plane. Nikki Valentine, one of the passengers, described the frightening experience: “The plane shook quite a bit, and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane, and smoke began coming in through the windows.”
The incident occurred just one day before a tragic crash in South Korea, where a Jeju Air flight crash-landed at Muan International Airport, killing 179 people. While there are similarities in the landing gear malfunction, aviation experts have not linked the two events.
Despite the alarming situation, no one was hurt in Halifax. Air Canada expressed empathy for passengers, acknowledging that the incident was unsettling. “We remain available to assist them,” the airline’s statement said.
The Halifax runway was closed for approximately 90 minutes as authorities cleared the area. This led to four diverted flights and several cancellations and delays. Tiffany Chase, a spokesperson for the Halifax International Airport Authority, confirmed that one of the airport’s two runways was reopened for flight operations shortly after the closure.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is investigating the incident. TSB has deployed a team of investigators to the airport, with an expected arrival time later on Sunday.
As of now, the aircraft remains on the runway, with Air Canada awaiting clearance from the TSB to return passengers’ belongings. The cause of the suspected landing gear issue is still under investigation. In a statement, the airline refrained from speculating on the cause and assured that no further details would be provided until the investigation is complete.
