The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating after passengers reported seeing flames coming from the wing of a plane that landed hard in Halifax as shown in this photo provided by passenger Nikki Valentine.Nikki Valentine/The Canadian Press
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating an apparent landing-gear issue that caused a plane at the Halifax airport to tilt and spark flames on the runway before all crew and 73 passengers were safely evacuated on Saturday night.
The incident that left some passengers shaken came around the same time as a plane crashed on the runway in South Korea and killed 179 people.
Nikki Valentine, a passenger on the flight arriving in Halifax from St. John’s, said she felt a “massive rumble” after the plane landed on Saturday.
“The cabin tilted, we saw sparks and then flames and then smoke started getting sucked into the cabin,” she said in a direct message over social media to The Canadian Press, adding that she is “thankful the pilot was able to get a hold of the situation very fast.”
The RCMP and other first responders were dispatched to Halifax Stanfield International Airport at around 9:20 p.m. on Saturday, said Sergeant Jared Ryan in a statement. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated.
The plane, part of De Havilland’s Q400 series, has had landing-gear issues in the past, more so than previous models, said John Cox, CEO of the aviation consulting company Safety Operating Systems.
De Havilland Canada did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
From photos of the incident available online, Mr. Cox said it appeared that the left main landing gear was not supporting the plane, causing it to tilt on to its left wing. Because such malfunctions tend to happen at slower speeds on the runway, they rarely cause fatalities, but it is a nagging issue.
“I would say the Q400 is a good airplane. It has had a higher than normal landing gear incident rate. It is on my radar, but I wouldn’t call it a major safety hazard,” Mr. Cox said. “I know they’ve been working on it. I’m saddened to see that yet another one has happened.”
Airport spokesperson Tiffany Chase said Saturday an Air Canada Express flight operated by PAL Airlines, arriving from St. John’s, experienced an incident upon landing at approximately 9:30 p.m.
Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said late Saturday that the plane experienced a “suspected landing gear issue” after arrival and was unable to reach the terminal. Passengers were off-loaded by bus.
With a report from The Canadian Press