Three investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are trying to determine why a passenger jet skidded off the end of a runway at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport over the weekend – the third such incident in the past two years.
WestJet Flight 248 landed in the midst of a snowstorm just after noon on Sunday and overshot the runway with 172 passengers and seven crew members aboard.
There were no injuries and it remains unclear whether the Boeing 737 was damaged when it came to a stop on a grassy area about 50 metres beyond the runway.
READ MORE: WestJet aircraft slides off runway at Halifax airport
“There was preliminary information that there was no apparent damage to the aircraft,” board spokesman Chris Krepski said in an interview Monday. “The maintenance organization for WestJet will take a closer look at the aircraft.”
Including the overrun on Sunday, there have been seven so-called “runway excursions” or aircraft overruns at the Halifax airport since 1999, according to a database compiled by the board – three of them within the last two years.
Krepski said the board has three main options as it moves forward with its investigation of what happened on Sunday: It could conduct a comprehensive investigation and submit a full report with recommendations; it could also submit a shorter report based on a limited probe; or it could simply add basic details to its database if investigators determine there would be nothing to contribute to transportation safety.
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“Right now, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada continues to gather information and we’ll assess that information to determine what the scope of an investigation might be,” Krepski said.
Runway 14 was reopened Sunday around 10 p.m. after the jet was towed away.
Of the seven runway mishaps reported since 1999, only one resulted in fatalities or serious injuries.
Early on Oct. 14, 2004, an MK Airlines Ltd. Boeing 747 cargo jet crashed and burned after it overshot Runway 24 and failed to gain enough altitude on takeoff. All seven crew members were killed.
The board concluded inadequate training and crew fatigue contributed to that crash. An investigation determined a crew member failed to press the correct icon on a computer screen, which caused the plane to attempt an underpowered takeoff.
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The most recent occurrence was on March 4, 2019, when the nose wheel of an Air Canada Boeing 767 with 211 passengers aboard slid off an icy runway as the jet was moving slowly toward the gates. The TSB found Runway 23 was so slippery, the jet spun 180 degrees as it was pushed around by a crosswind.
On Nov. 7, 2018, a Boeing 747 cargo jet landing on Runway 14 failed to stop before it plowed through some approach lights and navigation gear. The SkyLease Cargo plane was badly damaged as it slid 210 metres off the end of the runway in rainy conditions. The board is still investigating that crash.
The other incidents reported by the TSB:
– On April 24, 1999, an Inter Canadian passenger jet was landing on Runway 33 in gusty winds when the plane veered to its left and its main landing gear went into the grass.
– On Dec. 25, 2005, a WestJet Boeing 737 was landing on Runway 14 when its left wingtip and other parts of the wing hit the runway, causing some damage.
– On Sept. 10, 2010, a small F-86 Sabre jet fighter hydroplaned on Runway 32 and lightly struck two threshold lights at the end of the runway.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan 6, 2020.
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