HALIFAX – New photos released Wednesday show how close Air Canada flight 624 came to disaster.
The RCMP released the photos, taken from a police drone, as investigators continue to probe why the flight crashed as it was trying to land during a snowstorm in Halifax on Sunday.
READ MORE: Timeline of Air Canada flight 624 crash
The images offer a better view of the debris field around the plane, including where the engine from under its starboard wing came to rest after detaching.
The photos also show the extensive damage done to a nearby antenna array when the plane came in too low and struck it, losing its landing gear in the process.
The wreckage of the Airbus A320 aircraft was removed from the airport’s runway overnight on Tuesday.
Officials said the runway will be inspected to determine if the landing strip needs any work before being reopened to air traffic.
READ MORE: Landing an aircraft in bad weather depends on many variables
On Tuesday, the Transportation Safety Board said it had finished its examination of the site where the plane slammed into the ground and then skidded down the runway.
The board said it will maintain possession of the aircraft for further examination as it investigates what happened.
The plane was coming into Halifax from Toronto when it touched down 335 metres short of the runway and skidded on its belly for another 335 metres before coming to a stop.
There were 133 passengers and five crew members aboard, and 25 were taken to hospital with injuries.
-With files from Global News and The Canadian Press
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