It is both a tragedy and a miracle.
Air France Airbus flight A358 from Paris came down in a heavy rainstorm in zero visibility at Pearson International Airport Tuesday afternoon. It didn’t make a proper landing and broke apart, bursting into flames.
As terrifying as the incident was, the almost unbelievable mishap resulted in only minor injuries.
The pilot of the plane is being given credit for doing an incredible job of somehow avoiding any more carnage or keeping the craft from suffering any additional damage.
It’s believed there were at least 297 people on board, along with 12 crew members. Despite the fact the plane broke apart on landing and smoke filled the cabin, no one was killed.
In fact, only 14 people are said to have suffered just minor injuries and 30 were sent to hospitals overall to be checked out. One is a small baby, who was transported to the Hospital for Sick Children.
“An A-340 was flying in from Charles de Gaulle. It landed on runway 24 left and overran that runway by some 200 metres," confirms Steve Shaw of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. “Emergency services responded immediately, and the passengers were able to be evacuated.�?BR>
Large plumes of smoke billowed out from the plane and could be seen for miles, as pillars of black ash spilled out over the busy Highway 401.
Emergency crews raced to the scene in an attempt to rescue any passengers and extinguish the flames. Part of the plane's wing was seen protruding from the trees.
In an incredible scene out of a movie, some of the passengers emerged from the acrid debris, running onto the nearby highway and trying to flag down traffic or call their relatives.
Those who saw what happened were astounded by the sight. “A couple of people were standing by our window on the third floor as the plane was coming down the runway, and they said they saw a big ball of fire and an explosion,�?recalls one man.
“They thought the engine fell off of it as it came off the end of the runway but we're not sure what happened. Then there was large fire. The fire trucks were there. They were spraying it, and the flames are still there. We can still see flames and a large black cloud.�?
“I didn't hear an explosion,�?remembers another. “Our glass here is bulletproof so people can't jump out and stuff. There was no loud noises �?They started yelling ‘smoke, smoke!�?I'm sitting in front of the building now and the smoke is just insane.�?BR>
Kevin Sutherland got the fright of his life as the flight and the rain both pounded down. “It looks like it overran the runway and they saw a big ball of fire, some type of explosion,�?he relates. “But they were saying they thought the wing came off and exploded �?At the time there was a lot of lightning strikes in the area. We did notice that. Not sure if that had any effect on it.�?BR>
Witness Peter Norris, who was in direct view of the jet’s flight path, said he couldn’t believe planes were trying to land in such bad weather conditions.
“We saw it was starting to tilt from side to side. And then there was a massive lightning strike behind it, I don't know if it was behind it or at it. You know, it was just kind of there in the sky,�?he remembers.
Another witness, a passenger on board the doomed craft, told a friend she felt the plane bounce twice, and the tires apparently blew on the vehicle.
The power also went out on the plane, leading to speculation lighting may have struck the airbus, leaving the pilot unable to bring it to a safe stop.
It landed in a ditch and burst into flames.
Airplane expert Eddy Mets believes the plane may have been hit or suffered damage in the tail section. “Now it's a very unusual spot for the fire to be there because you do not have the wing area in flames where you have your fuel tanks,�?he points out. “So that was somewhat unusual to have a fire there and it burned like a candle.�?BR>
But Mets suggests something called a ‘tail strike�?may be to blame. “What a tail strike means is the aircraft comes in at a very high angle, very step angle where the tail strikes the ground first. Now that is indicative of that, because if we're looking at what we just saw here, you could relate that to a tail strike because …that's precisely where the aircraft would fracture.�?BR>
The plane was a direct non-stop flight from Paris to Toronto. It was due to pull into Terminal 3 at 3:35pm.
The airport has since been virutally shut down, and planes that were supposed to land at Pearson are now being diverted to Ottawa for the length of the emergency.
Information - Taken from Pulse24.com News Site
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