Transportation Safety Board investigating after plane goes off runway in Vancouver

VANCOUVER — The Transportation Safety Board says it’s investigating after a Boeing 767 cargo jet went off a runway at Vancouver International Airport.

The airport says the aircraft went off the north runway after landing about 1:45 a.m. on Tuesday, but none of the three-person crew was hurt.

The Amazon Prime Air jet remains in the grass off the runway nose down, both engines on each of the mud-splattered wings are touching the ground.

The airport says the north runway will remain closed for about two days, which could affect other flights.

According Flightradar24, a global flight tracking database, the aircraft left Hamilton just after midnight eastern time and was landing about four hours later when the flight path showed the plane continuing past the end of the north runway for about 500 metres before coming to a stop.

At the time of the landing, Environment Canada’s weather station at the airport showed light rain and snow falling for about 1 1/2 hours before the plane landed.

The safety board’s website says runway overruns can damage planes and, in the worst cases, lead to injuries or deaths.

The board says the consequences can be particularly serious when there isn’t an adequate area around the runway or a suitable system to stop planes.

“This closure will have an impact on YVR operations and flight schedules, but aircraft continue to arrive and depart on our south runway,” the airport said in an updated statement Tuesday.

“We encourage passengers to check with their airlines for current flight schedules and status before heading to YVR.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press