In the early hours of Sunday morning, an Air Canada Airbus A320, flying from Toronto, Ontario, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, had a rough landing at Halifax’s Stanfield Airport, as it skidded off the runway during a snowstorm. Power outages at the airport were reported, leading some to believe that the Airbus hit a power line on its way down. However, those rumors have yet to be confirmed, though Cpl. Greg Church of the RCMP told the Chronicle Herald that a power line just south of the runway was damaged.
I hear #AC624 was initially called a “hard landing”, though. Those Canadians, so polite. ? pic.twitter.com/KXRLC57dBN
— John Walton (@thatjohn) March 29, 2015
The Airbus was carrying 133 passengers as well as five crew members, and though no critical injuries or fatalities were reported, 25 people — including both pilots — were sent to nearby hospitals to be treated for minor injuries.
Sunday afternoon, Air Canada handed reporters a press release on the crash.
“Flight AC624, an Airbus A320 carrying 133 passengers and five crew, was involved in an incident upon landing at Halifax International Airport, Nova Scotia. The incident occurred at approximately 24:43 AT Sunday March 29.”
Though Halifax was experiencing blizzard-like conditions Saturday night, into Sunday, COO of Air Canada, Klaus Goersch, said the weather was not a factor in the Airbus’ rough landing.
Of the 25 people admitted to hospital after the Airbus A320 crashed, all have been released but one, though Goersch says the remaining passenger is expected to be released this afternoon.
Any family members who seek information on the Airbus crash and its passengers can contact Air Canada directly at 1-800-961-7099.
“We at Air Canada are greatly relieved that no one was critically injured. Yet we fully appreciate this has been a very unsettling experience for our customers and their families, as well as our employees, and we are focused on caring for all those affected. We will also fully cooperate with the Transportation Safety Board as it begins an investigation to determine the cause.”
Flight AC624 isn’t the only Airbus A320 to have crashed recently. The Germanwings flight that plummeted into the French Alps, tragically killing 150 people, was also an Airbus.
The first A320 was unveiled in March of 1988, and it remains the Airbus’ most popular craft, with 6,200 currently in service around the world. Since it’s release, the Aviation Safety Network claims only 55 accidents can be attributed to the Airbus A320.
Air Canada has a fleet of 41 A320s, and the crash at Halifax International Stanfield Airport is the first incident ever reported for the company on any of their Airbus A320s.
[Photo Credit: Transportation Safety Board ]
