Air Canada Flight 624

{{Infobox aircraft occurrence

| name = Air Canada Flight 624

| image = Air Canada A320 C-FTJP.jpg

| alt =

| caption = C-FTJP, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 2008

| occurrence_type = Accident

| date = {{Start date|2015|03|29|df=y}}

| summary = Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error

| site = Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Nova Scotia, Canada

| coordinates = {{coord|44.8646|-63.5284|type:event|display = inline,title}}

| aircraft_type = Airbus A320-211

| aircraft_name =

| operator = Air Canada

| IATA = AC624

| ICAO = ACA624

| callsign = AIR CANADA 624

| tail_number = C-FTJP

| origin = Toronto Pearson International Airport, Ontario, Canada

| stopover =

| destination = Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Canada

| occupants = 138

| passengers = 133

| crew = 5

| fatalities = 0

| injuries = 25 (2 serious)

| survivors = 138

}}

Air Canada Flight 624{{cite news|date=March 29, 2015|title=Air Canada AC624 touched down 335 metres short of runway, TSB says|work=CBC News|publisher=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/air-canada-ac624-touched-down-335-metres-short-of-runway-tsb-says-1.3013979}}{{cite web |url= http://www.airportia.com/flights/ac624/toronto/halifax/ |title= Air Canada Flight AC624: Toronto to Halifax – AC624 Air Canada Flight |access-date= March 29, 2015 |publisher= Airportia.com |archive-date= April 2, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150402154322/http://www.airportia.com/flights/ac624/toronto/halifax/ |url-status= live }}{{cite web |url= https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airplanes/c-ftjp/ |title= Full flight information and flight history for Air Canada aircraft C-FTJP |publisher= Flightradar24 AB |access-date= March 29, 2015 }} was a scheduled Canadian domestic passenger flight from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Halifax, Nova Scotia. During heavy snow and poor visibility, at 00:43 ADT (03:43 UTC) on 29 March 2015, the Airbus A320-211 landed short of the runway and was severely damaged. Twenty-six people were injured.

Accident

Air Canada Flight 624 departed from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) bound for Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ). It was carrying 133 passengers and five crew. The Airbus A320 operating the flight, registration C-FTJP, impacted the ground {{convert|225|m|ft}} short of the threshold of runway 05 (which is not equipped for precision landing), smashing through an ILS-LOC antenna array. This impact caused the landing gear to separate from the aircraft. The plane also impacted a power line, which cut power to the airport. The aircraft then climbed an embankment up to the runway level, skidded on its belly and stopped {{convert|570|m|ft}} past the threshold. The Halifax airport was without electricity for about 90 minutes.

The aircraft was extensively damaged, having lost all landing gear and its port engine. The wings and tailplane were also damaged. Both pilots, twenty-three passengers and a flight attendant were taken to hospital. None of the injuries were life-threatening,{{cite web|last=Hradecky|first=Simon|date=March 29, 2015|title=Accident: Air Canada A320 at Halifax on Mar 29th 2015, touched down short of runway|url=https://avherald.com/h?article=483e7337&opt=0|access-date=March 29, 2015|work=The Aviation Herald}}{{Rp|7}} and all but one of those taken to hospital were released the same day.{{cite news|date=March 29, 2015|title=Air Canada Flight 624 crashes into power line upon landing in Halifax|work=Global News|publisher=Global Television Network|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/1909898/breaking-air-canada-plane-hard-landing-on-runway-at-halifax-airport/|access-date=March 29, 2015|archive-date=March 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329174417/http://globalnews.ca/news/1909898/breaking-air-canada-plane-hard-landing-on-runway-at-halifax-airport/|url-status=live}} The weather at the time of the accident was described as "stormy" (winter conditions). The loss of power to the airport was due to the aircraft clipping transmission lines before hitting the ground.{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/airbus-a320-air-canada-plane-crashes-on-runway-at-halifax-airport-10141625.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330191701/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/airbus-a320-air-canada-plane-crashes-on-runway-at-halifax-airport-10141625.html |archive-date=2015-03-30 |url-access=limited |url-status=live| title=Airbus A320 Air Canada plane crashes on runway at Halifax airport| work=The Independent| date= March 29, 2015| access-date= March 29, 2015}} Electricity was restored to the airport by 02:12 ADT.{{cite news|date=March 29, 2015|title=Air Canada AC624 slides off runway in Halifax, 23 sent to hospital|work=CBC News|publisher=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/air-canada-flight-leaves-runway-in-halifax-23-sent-to-hospital-1.3013979|access-date=March 29, 2015}}{{Rp|7}}

While the aircraft collided with objects outside the airport perimeter and was damaged beyond repair, Air Canada initially described the accident as a "hard landing".{{cite news|date=March 31, 2015|title=Air Canada Flight 624 crash: 'Hard landing' too soft a term?|publisher=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/air-canada-flight-624-crash-hard-landing-too-soft-a-term-1.3015457|access-date=March 31, 2015|archive-date=April 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428195321/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/air-canada-flight-624-crash-hard-landing-too-soft-a-term-1.3015457|url-status=live}}

Aircraft and crew

File:Air Canada Flight 624.png

The aircraft was an Airbus A320-211 equipped with two CFM56-5A1 engines. Its serial number was 233 with a fleet number of 214, and it first flew in 1991. It was owned by GECAS and leased to Air Canada. As a result of the accident, the aircraft was written off.{{Cn|date=January 2025}}

The captain had been with Air Canada for more than nine years and had logged 11,765 flight hours, including 5,755 hours on the Airbus A320. The first officer had been with the airline for 15 years and had 11,300 flight hours, with 6,392 of them on the Airbus A320.{{Rp|8}}

Investigation

The accident was investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.{{cite web|url=http://www.citynews.ca/2015/03/29/23-treated-in-hospital-after-air-canada-plane-slides-off-halifax-runway/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150329182527/http://www.citynews.ca/2015/03/29/23-treated-in-hospital-after-air-canada-plane-slides-off-halifax-runway/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 29, 2015 |title=23 treated in hospital after Air Canada plane slides off Halifax runway |first=Keith |last=Doucette |publisher=Citynews |access-date=March 29, 2015 }} Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) investigators from France and two technical advisers from Airbus travelled to Canada to participate in the investigation."[http://www.bea.aero/en/enquetes/flight.ac.624/flight.ac.624.php Flight AC 624, Airbus A320, registered C-FTJP – Halifax Stanfield International Airport (Canada), 29 March 2015]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150402160328/http://www.bea.aero/en/enquetes/flight.ac.624/flight.ac.624.php Archive]). Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety. Retrieved on April 2, 2015. As a result of the accident, Air Canada revised its incorrect Airbus A320-200 Standard Operating Procedure.

The final report was released in May 2017, and showed no mechanical faults contributing to the accident, but identified multiple contributing factors for the accident. Investigators determined that the airline's standard operating procedure in regard to the selected landing mode (Flight Path Angle Guidance) was over-reliant on the Airbus' automation and led to excessive loss of altitude. Per the SOP, the crew need not have monitored the aircraft's altitude or relation to the runway to make any subsequent adjustments to the flight path angle after the final approach fix. Subsequently, the captain and first officer failed to notice or respond to the fact that the aircraft autopilot selected a steep vertical angle flight path, causing a drop below the minimum safe altitude. Furthermore, limited visibility hampered the crew's ability to accurately perceive their surroundings.{{cite web|date=18 May 2017|title=Collision with terrain, Air Canada, Airbus Industrie A320-211, C-FTJP, Halifax/Stanfield International Airport, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 29 March 2015|url=https://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2015/A15H0002/A15H0002.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030161512/http://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2015/a15h0002/a15h0002.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 30, 2017|access-date=19 May 2017|publisher=Transportation Safety Board of Canada|id=A15H0002}}

Litigation

A class action lawsuit was introduced against Air Canada, the Halifax Airport, NAV Canada, Transport Canada, Airbus and the aircraft's pilots which alleges that negligence on the part of the defendants caused the crash, inflicting physical and psychological harm onto the passengers.{{Cite news|url=https://www.news957.com/local/2016/12/20/air-canada-624-class-action-certified/|title=Air Canada 624 class action certified|date=2016-12-20|publisher=NEWS 95.7|access-date=2018-05-11|language=en-US|archive-date=July 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701031113/http://www.news957.com/local/2016/12/20/air-canada-624-class-action-certified/|url-status=live}} {{as of|November 2022}}, the lawsuit was still ongoing.{{cite news |title=Halifax air crash voice recording can be disclosed in civil case, Supreme Court rules |author=Jim Bronskill |url=https://www.wingsmagazine.com/halifax-air-crash-voice-recording-can-be-disclosed-in-civil-case-supreme-court-rules/ |magazine=Wings |date=November 25, 2022 |accessdate=April 22, 2023 |archive-date=April 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422200844/https://www.wingsmagazine.com/halifax-air-crash-voice-recording-can-be-disclosed-in-civil-case-supreme-court-rules/ |url-status=live }} A trial date of 2026 was announced in May 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-21 |title=2026 trial date set for class-action lawsuit over Air Canada crash landing in 2015 |url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/more/2026-trial-date-set-for-class-action-lawsuit-over-air-canada-crash-landing-in-2015-1.6895014 |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=CTVNews |language=en}} Other separate lawsuits are being assessed by medical professionals, with settlements based on the relative severity of each client's injuries.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/air-canada-flight-624-crash-plane-passengers-anniversary-1.3510935|title=One year after Air Canada crash, passengers say they struggle with PTSD |publisher=CBC News |access-date=2018-05-11|language=en-US}}

On 30 March 2017, Air Canada filed a lawsuit against Airbus, alleging that the manufacturer "failed to identify shortcomings of the Airbus A320", which included uncommanded descent below the pre-programmed glide path.{{Cite news|url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/air-canada-lawsuit-accuses-airbus-of-negligence-in-halifax-crash-landing-1.3347468|title=Air Canada lawsuit accuses Airbus of negligence in Halifax crash landing|last=Thomson|first=Aly|work=Atlantic|access-date=2017-03-31|language=en-CA}}

References

External links

Transportation Safety Board of Canada: [https://web.archive.org/web/20180713045914/http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/enquetes-investigations/aviation/2015/a15h0002/a15h0002.asp "Collision with terrain involving an Air Canada Airbus A320 at Stanfield International Airport, Halifax, Nova Scotia"]
Air Canada: [https://www.aircanada.com/en/news/150329.html "Air Canada provides Update on AC624"]
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/tsbcanada/sets/72157651565742766/ Post-accident photos] – TSBCanada on Flickr
{{ASN accident|20150329-0}}

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2015

Category:Airliner accidents and incidents in Canada

Category:Accidents and incidents involving the Airbus A320

Category:Air Canada accidents and incidents

Category:2015 disasters in Canada

Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain

Category:March 2015 in Canada

Category:History of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Category:Halifax Stanfield International Airport

Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error