More terror in the skies of the Great White North:
Flames ground Ottawa flight
CALGARY -- Passengers on board an Air Canada flight experienced a few brief moments of terror after an engine on their plane burst into flames shortly after takeoff.
The fire was extinguished after only a few minutes, and the plane circled Calgary for about a half-hour to dump fuel before making a safe landing. Air Canada officials said late yesterday that the fire was the result of a bird being sucked into the engine of the plane, which was on its way to Ottawa.
Stephen Hazel, sitting in a seat directly beside the engine that caught fire, said the sight of the flames caused an immediate adrenaline rush.
"I thought 'I could well die here,' " Hazel said. "We were still climbing very steeply and there was a very loud bang and I thought 'the engine exploded.' The noise stopped but I looked down and the engine was clearly on fire - flames coming out the back, lots of sparks."
The Airbus A319 had 99 passengers and crew, Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said. She said no injuries were reported.
The fire forced the evacuation of more than 100 passengers and crew.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Albe...93853-sun.html
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Fireball Seen Shooting out of Ottawa Bound Plane
Darren McEwen
Saturday, November 05, 2005 2:24 AM
Dozens of air passengers touched down at the Ottawa Airport Friday night with a story to tell.
They left Calgary in an Air Canada Airbus A319 Friday evening but their plane had to return to the airport just minutes later.
People all across Calgary reported a loud boom and seeing a ball of fire shooting behind the aircraft as it returned to the airport.
The airline says the pilot quickly turned the aircraft around and landed the plane safely. A spokesman says a bird was sucked into the engine just before the fireball was reported but the engine did not fully catch fire.
None of the 99 people aboard were hurt. The passengers were allowed to board another Air Canada flight bound for Ottawa later in the evening.
This was the second close call at the Calgary Airport in the past week. An engine on an Alaska Airlines jet caught fire on the tarmac just before takeoff Sunday morning. No one was hurt in that incident.
http://www.cfra.com/headlines/index.asp?cat=1&nid=33606