A thunderstorm contributed to one of Toronto’s worst plane crashes
Air France Flight 358 rolled off the end of the runway at nearly 150 km/h during a heavy thunderstorm in August 2005
Weather played a major role in some of history’s worst plane crashes—including one fiery accident in Toronto.
A flight from Paris in August 2005 sped off the end of a runway in Toronto after the crew attempted to land the large jet during a heavy thunderstorm.
Thanks to the quick thinking and stellar performance of the flight attendants, everyone on board survived despite flames destroying the plane soon after the wreck.
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Multiple errors amid heavy thunderstorms
Air France Flight 358 departed Paris on the morning of August 2, 2005 with 297 passengers and 12 crew aboard. Before takeoff, a weather briefing alerted pilots to possible thunderstorms around Toronto that afternoon.
After an eight-hour flight across the Atlantic, the loaded Airbus A340 descended toward Toronto-Pearson International Airport amid heavy storm activity in the area.
At 3:58 p.m., a plane landing ahead of Flight 358 reported that the slick runway reduced their ability to slow the aircraft.
Three minutes later, just as the plane was a few hundred metres above the runway, the pilot in command noticed a small loss in airspeed and added thrust. A tailwind developed at the same time, further increasing the plane’s speed.
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These two factors ultimately caused the plane to overshoot the point where it should have touched down.
Very poor visibility limited the distance pilots could see down the runway. The aircraft didn’t touch down until they’d travelled more than 40 per cent down the length of the rain-slicked runway.
Further compounding issues is that the pilots didn’t set the engines to apply reverse thrust to slow down the aircraft until 12 seconds after touchdown.
26 seconds after touchdown, and amid a cascade of errors, Air France Flight 358 exited the end of the runway at almost 150 km/h and crashed into a nearby ravine.
A swift evacuation saved everyone’s lives
The impact almost immediately sparked a blaze on the left side of the aircraft. Flight attendants began rushing everyone out of the burning plane into the heavy thunderstorm.
Thanks to the flight attendants’ swift actions, everyone on board made it out of the plane before flames entirely engulfed the aircraft. Although 33 people were injured—12 seriously—nobody died in the accident.
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The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSBC) recommended numerous safety changes in the wake of the incident.
Investigators urged airports to extend safety zones at the end of runways to protect aircraft that suffer overruns. Officials also suggested that airlines update pilot training to include landing in deteriorating weather conditions.
The TSBC also made one observation about passenger behaviour during the ordeal: “During the emergency evacuation of [Flight 358], many passengers took their carry-on baggage with them.”
One final recommendation is one that you may recognize from safety briefings today—if you ever have to evacuate an aircraft, leave your belongings behind. The time saved could save your life.
Header image of the plane involved in the crash courtesy Aero Icarus/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).