An Air Canada Boeing Flight AC872 caught fire mid-air before taking off at Toronto Pearson Airport.
The ghastly mishap happened on the evening of June 5. The Paris-bound aircraft experienced a terrifying ordeal that could have ended in tragedy.
The incident occurred thirty minutes into the flight as the plane was ascending from the runway. Flight tracker FlightAware reported that the plane departed from its gate at 8:46 pm but had to circle back and land at Toronto Pearson Airport at 9:50 pm.
The viral video footage captured the moment a light flashed from the right engine, followed by a small explosion that set the tail of the plane ablaze. Witnesses on the ground were left in disbelief, with one exclaiming, “Holy crap! It’s got an engine fire!” as reported by The Sun.
However, according to Canada's local outlet CP24, none of the 400 passengers or crew members were injured. The aircrew managed to land the plane safely, averting what could have been a catastrophic event.
“Passengers will be accommodated on another aircraft departing Toronto later tonight,” the airline noted.
An Air Canada representative later said that the fire was caused by an engine compressor issue. “After the aircraft landed, it was inspected by airport response vehicles as per normal operating processes, and it taxied to the gate on its own,” the representative told CP24.
“The aircraft will be taken out of service for further evaluation by our maintenance and engineering professionals.”
The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft involved in this incident have been part of Air Canada’s fleet since March 2008, and 19 of these aircraft are currently in active service.
Second such event at Toronto Pearson Airport in less than two weeks
On May 27, another flight bound for Delhi, India, encountered an engine issue shortly after take-off, necessitating a reroute.
