An Air Canada De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 skidded off the runway following a landing gear failure at Canada’s Halifax Airport.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. local time on December 28, Air Canada Express Flight 2259 operated by Canadian regional carrier Pal Airlines “experienced an aircraft incident upon arrival in Halifax from St. John’s, Land -New,” the airport confirmed in a statement. Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick confirmed the flight experienced a “suspected landing gear problem,” adding that no crew members or 73 passengers were injured in the crash. incident.
Images circulating on social media appear to show the port wing scraping along the runway upon landing, with flames emanating from the engine.
Passenger Nikki Valentine told CBC News that “the plane started to sit at about a 20 degree angle to the left and as it did we heard a pretty loud noise – what almost sounded like a crashing sound – as the plane’s wing “The plane began to skid on the sidewalk.” She added that the plane “shook a lot and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane and smoke started coming in through the windows.”
The fire was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported. The airport confirmed it was “closed briefly” before one of its runways was allowed to resume operations.
Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our latest content in your inbox.