Video footage captured during the incident shows the aircraft’s wings making contact with the runway surface.
HALIFAX- A PAL Airlines (PB) aircraft operating Air Canada (AC) flight AC2259 performed an emergency landing at Halifax airport following landing gear failure.
The aircraft, traveling from St. John’s to Halifax, skidded down the runway with sparks visible from the wings scraping against the ground.
Air Canada DH8 Plane Crash
The aircraft involved in the incident is De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400, registered as C-GPNA. Further, it is a 24-year-old aircraft and is powered by Pratt and Whitney engines.
Video footage captured during the incident shows the aircraft’s wings making contact with the runway surface, resulting in fire during the landing sequence. Initial reports indicate no casualties among passengers or crew members.
PAL Airlines, which operated the flight under an Air Canada codeshare agreement, serves as the second-largest regional airline in Eastern Canada. The airline maintains its headquarters at St. John’s International Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador, operating scheduled passenger, cargo, air ambulance, and charter services throughout Eastern Canada.
The regional carrier operates from multiple bases including Halifax Stanfield International Airport, CFB Goose Bay, and Montréal–Trudeau International Airport. As part of the PAL Group of Companies, the airline provides essential air connectivity throughout Canada’s eastern provinces.
The incident raises questions about aircraft maintenance protocols and emergency landing procedures at regional airports. Aviation authorities will investigate the cause of the landing gear failure and evaluate the emergency response effectiveness during the incident.
Jeju Air 737 Crash
A Jeju Air passenger aircraft crashed and erupted in flames at Muan Airport, South Korea, on December 29, 2024, resulting in at least 85 fatalities. The incident occurred when the aircraft’s front landing gear reportedly failed to deploy during landing, causing the plane to skid off the runway and colliding with a concrete fence.
The aircraft, carrying 181 passengers and crew, including two Thai nationals, was completing its journey from Bangkok when the crash occurred at 9:03 am local time. YTN television footage captured the aircraft skidding across the airstrip with its landing gear retracted before the devastating collision with the perimeter wall.
The National Fire Agency deployed 32 fire trucks and multiple helicopters to combat the blaze. Emergency responders successfully extracted two survivors – one passenger and one crew member – while continuing efforts to reach others trapped in the wreckage.
The Transport Ministry launched an immediate investigation into the landing gear malfunction that preceded the crash. This incident marks South Korea’s deadliest aviation disaster since the 1997 Korean Airlines crash in Guam that claimed 228 lives.
