The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating an incident involving a plane at Halifax Stanfield International Airport that a passenger described as a rough landing that sparked flames.
Nikki Valentine, who was on the PAL Airlines flight, said passengers felt a “massive rumble” as it landed Saturday evening.
“The cabin tipped over, we saw sparks and then flames and then smoke started to come into the cabin,” Valentine said Sunday.
Airport spokeswoman Tiffany Chase said an Air Canada Express flight operated by PAL Airlines arriving from St. John’s, Newfoundland, experienced an incident upon landing around 9:30 p.m
Air Canada Spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said the Bombardier Q400 plane had a “suspected landing gear issue” after arrival and was unable to reach the terminal.
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Fitzpatrick said the crew and 73 passengers were offloaded from the bus and no one on board was injured.
Valentine said she was “particularly grateful that the pilot was able to get the situation under control very quickly.”
The incident brought flight operations at the airport to a temporary standstill.
As of Sunday afternoon, Valentine and other passengers still had no luggage to leave on the plane. Valentine said she contacted Air Canada, which told her it could take up to three more days to return her luggage as the investigation into the incident was ongoing.
“A lot of people have things like house keys or wallets that they needed and couldn’t get,” she said.
“It’s all due process and of course I’d rather face the inconvenience (missing bags) than if something bad had happened, but it’s still difficult.”
