Twenty-Five People Were Injured When Air Canada Flight 624 Landed Short Of The Runway

Attorneys representing passengers who were aboard Air Canada flight 624 which landed short of the runway at Halifax Stanfield International Airport last March are set to go to trial in a class action suit against the airline and other parties.

According to a report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the aircraft was flying the localizer approach procedure to land on Runway 05 at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. A localizer approach only provides pilots with lateral guidance to align the aircraft with the runway for landing. During the approach, the engines of the aircraft severed power transmission lines, and then the main landing gear and rear fuselage impacted the snow-covered ground about 225 meters (738 feet) before the runway threshold. The aircraft continued through a localizer antenna, then impacted the ground in a nose down attitude, about 70 meters (230 feet) before the threshold. It then bounced and slid along the runway, coming to rest on the left side of the runway about 570 meters (1,870 feet) beyond the threshold.

Prior to landing, the crew received an updated weather report at 12:15 am Atlantic Time which included: windspeed 20 knots gusting to 26 knots from the north north west; 350° true; with a forward visibility of ½ statute mile in snow and drifting snow. The vertical visibility was 300 feet above the ground, temperature of minus 6°C, dewpoint minus 7°C, and altimeter setting of 29.63 inches of mercury.

Preliminary examination of the FDR indicates the aircraft was correctly configured for landing, the airspeed was consistent with a normal approach speed, and the altimeters were set to 29.63 inches of mercury. No mechanical deficiencies were identified with the aircraft's engines, flight controls, landing gear and navigation systems. During the review of the aircraft's maintenance records, no discrepancies were noted. Approximately 4900 litres of fuel was recovered from the aircraft.

The forward right and both rear exits were not used during the evacuation. No discrepancies were noted during the initial examination of these exits. Examination of the aircraft revealed that the right side cabin floor in seat rows 31 and 33, and the floor adjacent to the flight attendant fold-down seat near the rear of the cabin were punctured from below by aircraft structure. No pieces of the localizer antenna structure penetrated the cockpit.

Canada's Global News reports that the case is set to go to a verification hearing before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court beginning Dec. 12. Passengers are seeking compensation for physical and psychological injuries due to the accident. The suit alleges negligence on the part of the airline, the Halifax Airport, NAV Canada, Transport Canada, Airbus, and the pilots of the aircraft.

(RCMP image)

FMI: www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/enquetes-investigations/aviation/2015/a15h0002/a15h0002.asp