DA.C - View Single Post - An Air Transat A330-200 makes a crash landing in Azores

Osman · 08-24-2001, 04:25 PM

Plane From Toronto Makes Emergency Landing in Azores
By Ian Simpson

LISBON (Reuters) - A Canadian Air Transat airliner which was running out of fuel glided to an emergency landing in Portugal's Azores islands early on Friday slightly injuring nine passengers, authorities said.

The Airbus 330 flying from Toronto to Lisbon was forced to make the mid-Atlantic landing at the Azores' Lajes airport because it was losing fuel, Paulo Lagarto, a spokesman for Portugal's civil aviation agency, told Reuters.

The plane "told the control tower that it had had a loss of fuel and was going to have to divert to Lajes," he said.

"After that, it said that it only had five minutes of fuel and probably would not reach Lajes. Therefore, it was going to have to glide in."

The tyres exploded as the plane landed at 5:46 a.m. (0546 GMT) and airport emergency personnel immediately put out a fire, Lagarto said. The airport was closed.

A spokesman for the Azores emergency service said nine passengers were treated for slight injuries.

An airport spokesman said there were 295 passengers on board. The number of crew members was not immediately known.

Lusa news agency said passengers donned life jackets during the turbulent descent and some were panicking.

Passenger Jose Gaspar told Lusa people started shouting and panicking when the plane hit turbulence.

Air Transat is Canada's largest charter airline and a unit of travel services company Transat A.T. Inc. A spokesman for Montreal-based Transat was not immediately available for comment.

Passengers Happy to be Alive......
Emergency over Atlantic strands Canadian passengers in Azores
WebPosted Fri Aug 24 15:12:09 2001
AZORES ISLANDS - Air Transat says it's too early to tell what led to an emergency landing and evacuation of one of its flights early Friday in the Azores, west of Portugal.

LINKS: Websites related to this story

The charter airline's A-330 Airbus jet was forced to glide into an airport at a military airbase in the Azores after it began losing fuel and eventually lost power to its engines.

Exploded landing gear tires

As the jet bumped to a landing, four tires reportedly exploded and there were initial reports that the landing gear caught fire. Later in the day, however, an official with Air Transat said there was no fire.

Nine passengers were hurt. Agostinho Romeiro, 57, from Bradford, Ont. was in Angra do Herisomo hospital being treated for back and neck injuries, which occurred when the plane hit the runway. His wife hurt her leg when she slid down the ramp to the runway.

The Air Transat jet was on its way from Toronto to Lisbon when it began leaking fuel over the Atlantic ocean.

After detecting the fuel leak, the pilot pointed the Airbus A-330 for the Azores' Lajes airport, on the island of Terceira, some 1600 kilometres short of the flight's destination.

Checking damage of the Air Transat A330 Airbus

By the time it got there, the plane was completely without power. It glided for about 10 minutes toward the airport before bouncing to a stop on the runway.

Emergency crews were called in from the nearby U.S. airbase to help.

PASSENGERS' STORIES

Passenger Joe Fernandez of Toronto told CBC Radio news that shortly after the pilot announced there would be an emergency landing, flight attendants began crying. He says he was told that the crew wasn't sure if they would be able to make the landing strip or not.

He says passengers and crew grew increasingly frantic, as the captain ordered everyone to take off their shoes, put on life jackets and wear oxygen masks.

"Seconds before we landed the captain started yelling 'brace,brace,brace' and you could tell he was panicky, and we all braced."

Fernandez says he's just happy to be alive after the incident.

Passenger Jason Srancoz told CBC News that the crew had prepared passengers for a possible crash into the water, and that everyone was relieved when the plane made a "very hard landing" on land instead. "Thank God we made it," he said.

The commander of the airbase, Alfredo Cruz, said it was only through the efforts of the pilot that a tragedy was avoided.

The airline says the pilot has been flying for 30 years, and is calling him a hero.

Air Transat says there were 291 passengers and 13 crewmembers on board. Most of them were taken to the nearby airbase.

HELP ON THE WAY

Seychelle Harding, a spokesperson for the airline, says another jet was to leave Montreal for the Azores on Friday with Air Transat staff, psychologists and maintenance workers on board. But with the airport closed, that plane will have to land some two hours away. The passengers will be taken by boat to this new jet for their flight to Lisbon.

The airport is expected to be closed for 48 hours while officials try to figure out how to move the crippled jet.

Air Transat says the Airbus A330-200 had been in operation since 1999.

The airline says standard evacuation procedures took place in an orderly fashion.

A spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Department says the government has been in touch with the airline to check on the well-being of the passengers, most of whom are believed to be Canadians.

08-24-2001, 04:25 PM	#1
Osman Junior Collector Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Posts: 46	An Air Transat A330-200 makes a crash landing in Azores Plane From Toronto Makes Emergency Landing in Azores By Ian Simpson LISBON (Reuters) - A Canadian Air Transat airliner which was running out of fuel glided to an emergency landing in Portugal's Azores islands early on Friday slightly injuring nine passengers, authorities said. The Airbus 330 flying from Toronto to Lisbon was forced to make the mid-Atlantic landing at the Azores' Lajes airport because it was losing fuel, Paulo Lagarto, a spokesman for Portugal's civil aviation agency, told Reuters. The plane "told the control tower that it had had a loss of fuel and was going to have to divert to Lajes," he said. "After that, it said that it only had five minutes of fuel and probably would not reach Lajes. Therefore, it was going to have to glide in." The tyres exploded as the plane landed at 5:46 a.m. (0546 GMT) and airport emergency personnel immediately put out a fire, Lagarto said. The airport was closed. A spokesman for the Azores emergency service said nine passengers were treated for slight injuries. An airport spokesman said there were 295 passengers on board. The number of crew members was not immediately known. Lusa news agency said passengers donned life jackets during the turbulent descent and some were panicking. Passenger Jose Gaspar told Lusa people started shouting and panicking when the plane hit turbulence. Air Transat is Canada's largest charter airline and a unit of travel services company Transat A.T. Inc. A spokesman for Montreal-based Transat was not immediately available for comment. Passengers Happy to be Alive...... Emergency over Atlantic strands Canadian passengers in Azores WebPosted Fri Aug 24 15:12:09 2001 AZORES ISLANDS - Air Transat says it's too early to tell what led to an emergency landing and evacuation of one of its flights early Friday in the Azores, west of Portugal. LINKS: Websites related to this story The charter airline's A-330 Airbus jet was forced to glide into an airport at a military airbase in the Azores after it began losing fuel and eventually lost power to its engines. Exploded landing gear tires As the jet bumped to a landing, four tires reportedly exploded and there were initial reports that the landing gear caught fire. Later in the day, however, an official with Air Transat said there was no fire. Nine passengers were hurt. Agostinho Romeiro, 57, from Bradford, Ont. was in Angra do Herisomo hospital being treated for back and neck injuries, which occurred when the plane hit the runway. His wife hurt her leg when she slid down the ramp to the runway. The Air Transat jet was on its way from Toronto to Lisbon when it began leaking fuel over the Atlantic ocean. After detecting the fuel leak, the pilot pointed the Airbus A-330 for the Azores' Lajes airport, on the island of Terceira, some 1600 kilometres short of the flight's destination. Checking damage of the Air Transat A330 Airbus By the time it got there, the plane was completely without power. It glided for about 10 minutes toward the airport before bouncing to a stop on the runway. Emergency crews were called in from the nearby U.S. airbase to help. PASSENGERS' STORIES Passenger Joe Fernandez of Toronto told CBC Radio news that shortly after the pilot announced there would be an emergency landing, flight attendants began crying. He says he was told that the crew wasn't sure if they would be able to make the landing strip or not. He says passengers and crew grew increasingly frantic, as the captain ordered everyone to take off their shoes, put on life jackets and wear oxygen masks. "Seconds before we landed the captain started yelling 'brace,brace,brace' and you could tell he was panicky, and we all braced." Fernandez says he's just happy to be alive after the incident. Passenger Jason Srancoz told CBC News that the crew had prepared passengers for a possible crash into the water, and that everyone was relieved when the plane made a "very hard landing" on land instead. "Thank God we made it," he said. The commander of the airbase, Alfredo Cruz, said it was only through the efforts of the pilot that a tragedy was avoided. The airline says the pilot has been flying for 30 years, and is calling him a hero. Air Transat says there were 291 passengers and 13 crewmembers on board. Most of them were taken to the nearby airbase. HELP ON THE WAY Seychelle Harding, a spokesperson for the airline, says another jet was to leave Montreal for the Azores on Friday with Air Transat staff, psychologists and maintenance workers on board. But with the airport closed, that plane will have to land some two hours away. The passengers will be taken by boat to this new jet for their flight to Lisbon. The airport is expected to be closed for 48 hours while officials try to figure out how to move the crippled jet. Air Transat says the Airbus A330-200 had been in operation since 1999. The airline says standard evacuation procedures took place in an orderly fashion. A spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Department says the government has been in touch with the airline to check on the well-being of the passengers, most of whom are believed to be Canadians. __________________ M.Osman