Toronto Pearson International Airport - Accidents and Incidents

Accidents and Incidents

• On October 3, 1959, Vickers Viscount CF-TGY of Trans-Canada Air Lines was written off when it landed short of the runway
• On June 13, 1964, Vickers Viscount CF-THT of Air Canada was damaged beyond economical repair when it crash-landed after the failure of two engines on approach.
• The airport's deadliest accident occurred on July 5, 1970, when Air Canada Flight 621, a DC-8 jet, flew on a Montreal–Toronto–Los Angeles route. The pilots inadvertently deployed spoilers before the plane attempted landing, forcing the pilots to abort landing and takeoff. Damage to the aircraft caused during the failed landing attempt caused the plane to break up in the air during the go-around, killing all 100 passengers and nine crew on board when it crashed in a field southeast of Brampton. Controversy remains over the cleanup effort following the crash, as both plane wreckage debris and human remains from the crash are still found on the site.
• On August 30, 1970, Douglas C-47 CF-JRY of D G Harris Productions was damaged beyond economic repair in a storm.
• On June 26, 1978, Air Canada Flight 189 to Winnipeg overran the runway during an aborted takeoff, and crashed into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. Two of 107 passengers on board the DC-9 were killed.
• 1983: Air Canada Flight 797, on a Dallas–Toronto–Montreal route, had an in-flight fire and landed in Cincinnati; half of the occupants died, including famed Canadian folksinger, Stan Rogers.
• On June 22, 1983, Douglas C-47A C-GUBT of Skycraft Air Transport crashed on take-off roll at Toronto International Airport while on an international cargo flight from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Ohio. Both crew were killed.
• 1985: A bomb was loaded onto Air India Flight 181, which departed from Toronto Pearson International Airport and arrived at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport and then departed as Air India Flight 182, using the same aircraft and carrying passengers who were on Flight 181, was scheduled to fly on the Montreal–London–Delhi–Bombay route. The Boeing 747-200B exploded over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cork, Ireland killing all 307 passengers and 22 crew.
• 2001: Air Transat Flight 236, flying from Toronto Pearson to Lisbon Portela Airport in Lisbon, Portugal with 306 people on board, ran out of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing at Lajes Field in the Azores. There were no fatalities and only minor injuries.
• On August 2, 2005, Air France Flight 358, an Airbus A340-300 (registration F-GLZQ) inbound from Paris, landed on runway 24L in a severe thunderstorm, failed to stop and ran off the runway into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. The rear third of the plane burst into flames, eventually engulfing the whole plane except the cockpit and wings. There were 12 serious injuries but no fatalities. The investigation predominantly blamed pilot error when faced with the severe weather conditions.
• 2010: Pakistan International Airlines Flight 782, en route from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan made an emergency landing at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden on September 25 due to a hoax bomb threat on board. After evacuating all 273 passengers from the Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, a thorough police search was conducted to find any explosives on the aircraft. No explosives were found during the investigation and the plane arrived at Karachi 13 hours late.
• On December 7, 2010, an Emirates Airbus A380 was damaged when a catering truck collapsed on the right wing, damaging it. The aircraft was taken out of service to be repaired.