An Air Canada flight en route to Paris with 389 passengers and 13 crew members onboard caught fire just minutes after taking off from Toronto Pearson International Airport.
In a statement, Air Canada said, “Video posted to the internet of the incident shows the engine at the point of compressor stall, which can happen with a turbine engine when its aerodynamics are affected. This can be caused by various factors, but the result is the flow of air through the engine is disrupted causing fuel to ignite further down the engine, which is why flames are visible in the video. It is not the engine itself on fire”.
The malfunction was quickly communicated to the flight crew, who managed the situation and landed the aircraft back at the airport.
“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 airline said.
The incident, which was caught on camera, unfolded after the Boeing 777 jet took off from Toronto on 5. Videos captured by observers on the ground showed fire shooting from one of the engines of the plane as it was still climbing altitude.
Fortunately, the aircraft managed to return safely to the airport with no injuries or casualties reported.
The passengers were re-booked onto another flight later the same night. The Boeing jet that malfunctioned was taken out of service and sent for evaluation by its maintenance staff and engineers, according to a report by The Star.
This is the latest addition to the recent flight incidents involving Boeing 777 jets, which have raised concerns about the safety and reliability of these aircraft.
On March 7 this year, a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 was forced to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles after a tyre fell off during takeoff from San Francisco. The incident was captured on video, and the loose tyre damaged vehicles in a car park.
On March 13, another United Airlines Boeing 777-300 was forced to turn around and land in Australia’s Sydney due to a fuel leak reported after takeoff. The plane was heading to San Francisco.