Engine fire forces emergency landing
WebPosted Dec 5 2001 09:04 PM CST


Whitehorse, Yukon - An Air Canada jet with nearly a hundred people on board and only one engine made an emergency landing in Whitehorse Thursday afternoon.

'Everyone was trying to think that maybe this was normal.'� Barbara Bergman
Flight 3583 departed from Whitehorse Thursday afternoon at about noon local time, destined for Vancouver. A few minutes after takeoff, the pilot was forced to return to the airport.

Air Canada spokesperson Charlotte Wardell says loud noises and flames started coming out of one of the engines.

"There was a problem with one of the engines that resulted in having to turn the aircraft back to the airport to take that aircraft out of commission," she said. "We're evaluating that right now. The passengers on board probably experienced some loud noises."

Passenger Barbara Bergman had a perfect view of the faulty engine.

"There was a loud bang, and then the engine which I was sitting right over, flames were coming out, and then there was another bang and more flames, and then another bang and then we were up in the air," she said. "Everyone was a little unnerved but everyone was trying to think that maybe this was normal."

Bergman says the plane took about an hour to return to the Whitehorse airport.

Wardell says the plane will stay on the ground in Whitehorse until a safety check has been completed.

The flight has now been cancelled. Some of the Vancouver passengers were booked on an afternoon flight. Wardell says the airline will try and fly the balance of the passengers tomorrow on a space available basis.

In my Air Force days, there was a blunt saying that, any landing you walked away from, was a good landing. Thankfully, all are safe and sound.
I remember one flight out of Prestwick on a C130 Hercules when we ran into a flock of seagulls on takeoff. We lost an engine and another was giving concern. We declared an emergency and came bback pronto. Needless to say that we debriefed later over a few beers.

I thought I heard something on CBC about AC grounding 737s pending further determinations?

I didn't hear anything about grounding the fleet. I'm at YEG MLL right now, I can see AC 737 movements out there.

1D

Fly Boy it would nice if you could provide a link or something to substantiate this news item.

FewMiles..

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I couldn't find one - hence the question mark! Just heard a snippet on CBC last night (report was just ending). Perhaps they meant that specific 737? Who knows...

The CBC headline here is rather dire: "Passengers on downed jet re-booking"

Doubt if the fleet would be grounded given the 737-200's and JT8D-9A's long service and proven reliability.

What a stupid headline... don't they think before they write? "downed"...?

A collegue of mine flew with some of the re-booked pax last night. Apparently AC refused to provide hotel accomodation for those who had to overnight by the mechanical problem.

What is AC policy when a mechnical problem forced overnight delay like this?

1D

Here's an excerpt from AC's Customer Service Plan.

"The extended delay: what happens while waiting

In the case of delays caused by Air Canada with a forecast duration of
over 90 minutes, Air Canada will provide you with food, either at the
gate or with a meal voucher for airport restaurants.
Air Canada will communicate with you every 15 minutes to provide an
update on the flight status with the latest, most accurate information
available.

In the case of an unplanned overnight stay caused by Air Canada, we
will provide out-of-town customers with meal vouchers, hotel
accommodations and transportation to and from the airport.

We know that unexpected, extended delays caused by Air Canada - due to
maintenance, for example - can create a stressful situation for any traveller. Although our priority remains getting you on your way as quickly as possible, we also want to minimize your frustration and inconvenience while waiting, whether it's by helping you contact family or business associates or by getting you something to eat. In the case of an unplanned overnight stay caused by Air Canada, we will provide hotel accommodations, meal vouchers and transportation to and from the airport."

Looks like AC would have breached its own Customer Service Plan terms if it refused to put up out-of-town passengers. Shouldn't bee too surprising though.

Engine problems continue for Air Canada Boeing 737
by Stephanie Waddell


Engine problems aboard a Boeing 737 continued to plague Air Canada on Thursday as two mechanics attempted to fix the plane that was still grounded at the Whitehorse airport this morning.
After the mechanics thought the problem had been fixed, the airplane began flying back to Vancouver yesterday only to have to return to Whitehorse.
�It�s really a maintenance issue now,� Phil Dyke, customer service manager of the local Air Canada offices, said in an interview this morning.
The plane was originally scheduled to leave Wednesday morning for Vancouver. Although the flight took off with 98 passengers aboard, it only got to Carcross before it had to return to Whitehorse.
After take-off, there were four loud bangs from the engine.
Murray Williamson, supervisor of safety and security for the Whitehorse airport, said Thursday he had heard passengers say they saw flames from the plane when it was taking off.
As Dyke pointed out, although this is not an everyday occurrence, pilots are trained to handle such situations.
It took about 30 minutes for the plane to return because it had to go to Lake Laberge to circle back to the Yukon.
In an interview Thursday, Dyke said that contrary to some local radio reports, the plane never dumped fuel.
Most passengers were accommodated on the afternoon flight, while approximately 37 had to wait for Thursday morning�s flight.
In the meantime, two mechanics flew to Whitehorse to work on the problem engine. However, after they worked on it and began flying the plane back to Vancouver, the same problem occurred.
Now, Dyke said, the mechanics will likely do some trouble-shooting with their headquarters to figure out what can be done to fix the plane and get it back to Vancouver.
Sharon Miller, office manager for Air North, said early this afternoon that the company has offered Air Canada the use of its hangar to do the repair work if need be.
�They haven�t taken the offer yet,� she said.
She said the offer was a matter of courtesy being extended to another airline.

Air Canada used Air North hangar


There�s been no turning back on the Air Canada Boeing 737 plane that was grounded in Whitehorse and finally left for Vancouver on Tuesday.
Last Wednesday, the Whitehorse-to-Vancouver flight got as far as Carcross with about 100 passengers aboard before it had to return due to engine problems.
After take-off there were four loud bangs from the engine. It took about 30 minutes for the plane to return and land because it had to go to Lake Laberge, then circle back south to Whitehorse.
All but 37 passengers were accommodated aboard that afternoon�s flight. The remaining passengers flew out on the next morning�s flight.
Though two mechanics flew up to work on the plane, the same problem occurred when it took off once again last Thursday. It had to return to Whitehorse again.
Air North offered the use of its hangar to fix the plane. For most of Monday, Air Canada crews were working on it, Joe Sparling, president of the local carrier, said today.
�I was anxious to know that the aircraft would fit (in our hangar),� Sparling said.
Air North is contemplating offering Whitehorse-Vancouver flights, and flights from Whitehorse to an Alberta city, using a Boeing 737. Sparling has said Air Canada has declined to enter into an agreement for the Whitehorse-Vancouver route with his airline.
Phil Dyke, customer service manager for the local Air Canada office, said this morning the engine actually had to be replaced.