TSB investigating rough plane landing in Halifax, passenger says flames were visible
Posted December 29, 2024 11:39 am.
Last Updated December 29, 2024 4:56 pm.
HALIFAX — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating after sparks and flames shot from under the wing of a plane that landed hard in Halifax.
Nikki Valentine, a Halifax woman who was on the plane, said passengers felt a “massive rumble” upon landing at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport Saturday night.
“The cabin tilted, we saw sparks and then flames and then smoke started getting sucked into the cabin,” she told The Canadian Press in a direct message over social media.
Airport spokesperson Tiffany Chase said Saturday an Air Canada Express flight operated by the regional carrier PAL Airlines, arriving from St. John’s, N.L., experienced an incident upon landing at approximately 9:30 p.m.
Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said late Saturday that the plane experienced a “suspected landing gear issue” after arrival and was unable to reach the terminal.
Fitzpatrick said the crew and 73 passengers were off-loaded by bus and nobody on board was injured.
A Nova Scotia RCMP spokesperson said on Saturday that some minor injuries were reported, but clarified Sunday that in fact no one was injured.
Valentine said she is “especially thankful the pilot was able to get ahold of the situation very fast.”
The incident temporarily halted flight activity at the airport.
As of Sunday afternoon, Valentine and other passengers were still without the bags they were instructed to leave on the plane. Valentine said she contacted Air Canada, who told her that it could be up to three more days before their bags are returned as the investigation into the incident continues.
“A lot of people have things like house keys or wallets they needed and couldn’t get,” she said.
“It’s all proper procedure, and I’d rather the inconvenience (of missing bags) than if anything bad had happened, of course, but it’s still tough.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2024.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
