2 planes collide on tarmac at Pearson; firefighter injured
Posted January 5, 2018 8:02 pm.
Last Updated January 6, 2018 1:38 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
One plane struck another on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport on Friday evening, sparking a fire and prompting evacuations. During the emergency response, an airport firefighter was injured.
Around 6:15 p.m., an empty Sunwing aircraft was being towed when it hit a WestJet Boeing 737-800 which had just arrived at Terminal 3 from Cancun, Mexico, and was waiting to park.
Crews put out a small fire on the Sunwing plane and the passengers on the WestJet flight were safely evacuated by emergency slide and taken to the terminal building.
“Lots and lots of smoke, lots of flames,” said WestJet passenger Michael Bennet. “People on our airplane started to stand up and yell and scream … ‘There’s a fire! There’s a fire! There’s a fire!
“After what seemed like a long time, but it was probably 30 seconds or so, they initiated the evacuation procedures. So, the plane was evacuated through the slides … We all slid down onto the tarmac into darkness — and I think it’s about 16 or 20 below in Toronto.”
There were 168 passengers and six crew on board.
One of Pearson’s firefighters was injured and taken to hospital for treatment.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority said the incident had only a minor impact on airport operations, although the extreme cold continued to pose a challenge.
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
