Air Canada plane catches fire during landing, shuts down Halifax Airport temporarily

In another nerve wracking incident that followed the recent news of a South Korean flight crashing while landing, an Air Canada flight narrowly avoided a similar disaster on Sunday evening when it landed at Halifax Stanfield International Airport with a broken landing gear. The aircraft, operating as Flight AC2259 and run by PAL Airlines, was arriving from St. John's when it experienced a significant malfunction during landing. The plane skidded along the runway and caught fire shortly after touching down.

The emergency occurred at approximately 9:30 PM local time, with the airport temporarily closing one of its runways while emergency services responded. Despite the alarming circumstances, there were no immediate reports of fatalities. However, passengers were left shaken by the terrifying ordeal.



Nikki Valentine, one of the passengers aboard the flight, shared her experience with CBC News, explaining that the plane’s landing gear failed to deploy properly. "The plane started to sit at about a 20-degree angle to the left and, as that happened, we heard a pretty loud — what almost sounded like a crash sound — as the wing of the plane started to skid along the pavement, along with what I presume was the engine," Valentine said.


Valentine described how the plane continued to skid for a considerable distance as the pilots worked to bring it to a stop. "The plane shook quite a bit and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane and smoke started coming in the windows," she said. Despite the chaotic scene, Valentine reported that the evacuation of passengers was swift. "One side of the entire plane was on fire, so everyone was pretty much in a hurry to get off — but an organised hurry," she added.


The exact number of passengers on board has not yet been confirmed, though Valentine estimated the plane's capacity at about 80 people. The incident took place during a busy period at the airport, but authorities acted quickly to evacuate everyone and transport them to a hangar, where they were checked by paramedics. No life-threatening injuries were reported among the passengers, but they were visibly shaken by the incident.


The airport reopened one of its runways after emergency services cleared the site, though operations were briefly disrupted.

This terrifying event follows a deadly incident earlier on Sunday, when a Jeju Air flight, carrying 181 people, crashed in South Korea. The Boeing 737-800 exploded after landing at Muan airport, resulting in the deaths of all but two people on board. South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that the plane suffered a landing gear malfunction after a bird strike, veering off the runway before colliding with a fence. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire and the exact circumstances of the crash.

While the incidents are separate, they both underscore the critical importance of air safety, particularly related to landing gear. In the case of the Halifax landing, despite the dramatic scenes, the quick action of the flight crew and emergency services ensured the safe evacuation of the passengers, preventing what could have been a far worse disaster.