Plane's landing gear breaks down and catches fire while landing in Canada
A DHC-8 plane carrying dozens of people had a problem with its landing gear when landing at an airport in eastern Canada, causing it to skid on the runway and burst into flames.
The DHC-8 plane, operated by Air Canada and Philippine airline PAL Airlines, had an accident when landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia, eastern Canada, on the evening of December 28 (this morning Hanoi time).
Passenger Nikki Valentine said the plane could not release one of its landing gears. "The plane started to tilt to the left when it landed, and at the same time there was a loud noise like a collision. The wing slid on the edge of the runway along with what I assume was the engine," she recalled.
Valentine said the plane skidded on the runway "quite a distance" while the crew tried to slow down. "The plane shook quite a bit and we started to see smoke and flames coming from the left side of the plane," she said.
Emergency services quickly arrived when the DHC-8 stopped and safely evacuated the passengers, taking them to a nearby hangar for medical checks. There were no casualties in the incident.
Air Canada plane at Halifax Stanfield Airport, Canada on the evening of December 28. Photo: CBC News
It is not yet clear how many passengers were on board, but Valentina estimated there were around 80. She said the plane had about 20 rows of seats and most were full.
"One side of the plane caught fire so everyone rushed out. The evacuation was quick, about two minutes, and very organized," she said.
Halifax Airport was closed after the incident, but reopened one runway on the morning of December 29.
