Marine
08-27-2001, 1:02pm
LAJES, Azores Islands (AP) — A Canadian airliner carrying 304 people lost power to both engines over the Atlantic and glided to an emergency landing Friday, bursting tires when it hit the runway and injuring ten passengers, officials said.
There were concerns that the Air Transat Airbus A330 would have to set down in the sea after a fuel leak developed.
"Only the pilot's skill prevented a tragedy," Alfredo Cruz, a commander at Lajes U.S. air force base, told the Portuguese news agency Lusa.
With the engines shut down, the plane glided for several minutes before reaching the runway, said Ricardo Barros, the vice president of Portugal's civil protection agency in the Azores.
The plane, en route from Toronto to Lisbon, reached the runway in Lajes on Terciera in the Azores Islands, 900 miles off the coast of Portugal. Michel Lemay, a spokesman for the Montreal-based charter airline, said both engines were shut down when the plane landed.
But he said it was "too early to say if it's an engine problem or a fuel problem or another problem."
The crew reported they were 65 miles from Lajes with fuel left for only two minutes and might have to set down in the sea, Paulo Lagarto, a spokesman for Air Navigation of Portugal, said the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.
Passengers who were evacuated via emergency chutes onto the runway said many aboard, including flight attendants, were panicking or praying. There were 13 crew members aboard.
Air Transat's authority to operate the twin-engined aircraft over an extended range was immediately suspended by Canada's civil aviation authority until it's "satisfied that no safety deficiencies exist," said spokesman Art LaFlamme.
The airline said the restrictions would not affect the scheduling of its 24-aircraft fleet.
Antonio Costa-Coelho, the chief of staff at Lajes airport, also praised the pilot as "very cool."
"He reached the runway without the engines and made the landing. He had to pull very hard on the brakes, so he made a little fire in the tires and made some damage on the runway," Costa-Coelho said.
In a statement, Air Transat said, "The captain maintained control of the aircraft at all times throughout the emergency landing during which some tires ruptured." It did not say exactly when the engines were shut off.
Lemay said 10 people were slightly injured.
Jittery passengers said they had a terrifying experience.
"The flight attendants were hysterical. One of them was swearing, and the one making the announcement that we had to make an emergency landing sounded very scared," said 24-year-old passenger Daniel Rodrigues of Toronto. "Once people heard her voice, all the old people started praying."
Rodrigues said flight attendants started collecting breakfast trays even before people had begun eating. He asked why and was told they were arriving earlier than planned.
"The next thing I know, we've got life jackets and we're being told we are making an emergency landing," he said.
"I heard the engines cut out ... I thought of my daughters I left behind," said passenger Agostinho Romeiro, 57, of Bradford, Ontario, who was in a hospital with back and neck injuries. His wife hurt her leg sliding down the ramp to the runway.
Flames shot from the wheel area of the plane after it hit the runway, said Barros, and the airport was closed all day. Officials said equipment had to be flown in from Lisbon to clear debris from the runway.
The incident prompted Transport Canada to send a team of investigators to the Azores and step up monitoring Air Transat's operations to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
It was the second recent problem with an Air Transat plane. On Aug. 18, the 338 people aboard a Lockheed L-1011 jumbo jet were evacuated after smoke poured the cabin as it moved into takeoff position at Orlando International Airport. The pilot braked hard and ordered everyone to leave the plane on the emergency slides. Two people suffered minor injuries.
Air Transat specializes in charter flights from several Canadian and European cities to vacation destinations.
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I Live To Fight Another Day
There were concerns that the Air Transat Airbus A330 would have to set down in the sea after a fuel leak developed.
"Only the pilot's skill prevented a tragedy," Alfredo Cruz, a commander at Lajes U.S. air force base, told the Portuguese news agency Lusa.
With the engines shut down, the plane glided for several minutes before reaching the runway, said Ricardo Barros, the vice president of Portugal's civil protection agency in the Azores.
The plane, en route from Toronto to Lisbon, reached the runway in Lajes on Terciera in the Azores Islands, 900 miles off the coast of Portugal. Michel Lemay, a spokesman for the Montreal-based charter airline, said both engines were shut down when the plane landed.
But he said it was "too early to say if it's an engine problem or a fuel problem or another problem."
The crew reported they were 65 miles from Lajes with fuel left for only two minutes and might have to set down in the sea, Paulo Lagarto, a spokesman for Air Navigation of Portugal, said the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.
Passengers who were evacuated via emergency chutes onto the runway said many aboard, including flight attendants, were panicking or praying. There were 13 crew members aboard.
Air Transat's authority to operate the twin-engined aircraft over an extended range was immediately suspended by Canada's civil aviation authority until it's "satisfied that no safety deficiencies exist," said spokesman Art LaFlamme.
The airline said the restrictions would not affect the scheduling of its 24-aircraft fleet.
Antonio Costa-Coelho, the chief of staff at Lajes airport, also praised the pilot as "very cool."
"He reached the runway without the engines and made the landing. He had to pull very hard on the brakes, so he made a little fire in the tires and made some damage on the runway," Costa-Coelho said.
In a statement, Air Transat said, "The captain maintained control of the aircraft at all times throughout the emergency landing during which some tires ruptured." It did not say exactly when the engines were shut off.
Lemay said 10 people were slightly injured.
Jittery passengers said they had a terrifying experience.
"The flight attendants were hysterical. One of them was swearing, and the one making the announcement that we had to make an emergency landing sounded very scared," said 24-year-old passenger Daniel Rodrigues of Toronto. "Once people heard her voice, all the old people started praying."
Rodrigues said flight attendants started collecting breakfast trays even before people had begun eating. He asked why and was told they were arriving earlier than planned.
"The next thing I know, we've got life jackets and we're being told we are making an emergency landing," he said.
"I heard the engines cut out ... I thought of my daughters I left behind," said passenger Agostinho Romeiro, 57, of Bradford, Ontario, who was in a hospital with back and neck injuries. His wife hurt her leg sliding down the ramp to the runway.
Flames shot from the wheel area of the plane after it hit the runway, said Barros, and the airport was closed all day. Officials said equipment had to be flown in from Lisbon to clear debris from the runway.
The incident prompted Transport Canada to send a team of investigators to the Azores and step up monitoring Air Transat's operations to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
It was the second recent problem with an Air Transat plane. On Aug. 18, the 338 people aboard a Lockheed L-1011 jumbo jet were evacuated after smoke poured the cabin as it moved into takeoff position at Orlando International Airport. The pilot braked hard and ordered everyone to leave the plane on the emergency slides. Two people suffered minor injuries.
Air Transat specializes in charter flights from several Canadian and European cities to vacation destinations.
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I Live To Fight Another Day