Air Canada flight runs through grass during landing

On Saturday, Air Canada Flight 623 was traveling from Halifax to Toronto/Lester B. Pearson airport with 118 persons on board. Towards the end of the flight, the aircraft (an Airbus A320) was flying an Instrument Landing System approach to runway 15R. Just after midnight, during the landing sequence, the aircraft traveled through the grass on the western side of the runway, eventually coming to a stop on the runway centerline. The passengers were deplaned on the runway and transported by bus to the terminal. There were no reported injuries, and apparent damage to the aircraft at this point is minor. The aircraft will be thoroughly examined to further determine the extent of the damage. Five runway edge lights were also damaged.

Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigators were deployed in the early morning to Pearson Airport to examine the aircraft and gather information. The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. To date, TSB have:

• Taken possession of the CVR and FDR. These will be sent to the TSB Lab in Ottawa for further analysis.
• Gathered airborne radar, ground radar and audio data from air traffic control.
• Gathered the initial weather information.
• Examined and took measurements of the occurrence site.
• Conducted preliminary examination of the aircraft.

Next steps

The investigation is ongoing and the next steps include the following:

• Interviewing the flight crew, air traffic control and other witnesses.
• Gathering all information surrounding this flight, such as: weather, the approach, navigation systems, communications, the crew, training, the organization.
• Analyzing data from FDR/CVR.
• TSB investigators have to examine all the information before drawing any conclusions. It is too early to say what the causes and contributing factors of this occurrence might be.