Side-slipping a 767?!
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Side-slipping a 767?!
Hello all,
Recently found out about an astonishing Air Canada flight that took place around June 1983.
Due to a number of misunderstandings, lack of clearly-defined responsibilities and confusion over the conversion of metric and imperial fuel volumes and weights, the 767 departed Ottawa for Edmonton with about half the required fuel on board.
They declare an emergency somewhere past Thunder Bay, and aim for a dead stick landing in Winnipeg. As there is no fuel to power the electrics, of course, the handling pilot is limited to A/S indicator, AH, altimeter, and gyro...They work out that they can`t make Winnipeg and are given vectors for Gimli.
On the approach to Gimli, the captain decides they are too high and fast, so he SLIPS THE 767 and lands safely on the runway! Has anyone heard of anything similar before or since? Was it big news in Canada at the time?
Recently found out about an astonishing Air Canada flight that took place around June 1983.
Due to a number of misunderstandings, lack of clearly-defined responsibilities and confusion over the conversion of metric and imperial fuel volumes and weights, the 767 departed Ottawa for Edmonton with about half the required fuel on board.
They declare an emergency somewhere past Thunder Bay, and aim for a dead stick landing in Winnipeg. As there is no fuel to power the electrics, of course, the handling pilot is limited to A/S indicator, AH, altimeter, and gyro...They work out that they can`t make Winnipeg and are given vectors for Gimli.
On the approach to Gimli, the captain decides they are too high and fast, so he SLIPS THE 767 and lands safely on the runway! Has anyone heard of anything similar before or since? Was it big news in Canada at the time?
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The Gimli Glider was huge. Best commentary was done by Toronto Sun cartoonist Andy Donato. Airliner beside gas pumps at side of highway, attendant shouting back to boss, "This guy's asking me how many litres to a gallon!"
BTW the "runway" was actually a drag racing strip. The field was an abandoned air force base where the FO had trained, he suggested it when they realized they wouldn't make Winnipeg.
[This message has been edited by Squawk 8888 (edited 10 October 2000).]
BTW the "runway" was actually a drag racing strip. The field was an abandoned air force base where the FO had trained, he suggested it when they realized they wouldn't make Winnipeg.
[This message has been edited by Squawk 8888 (edited 10 October 2000).]
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Hi TN, I was in Gimli the year after doing my Glider Pilots Licence with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. At the time the pilots were lauded as heros and given some award by the International Aviation something-or-other, the name is french and I do not mean to undermine it, I just can't remember it. Anyway, as I said, they got an award but were put on suspension by Air Canada!!! The Captain of the flight was a current glider pilot himself and slipping is a normal part of those approaches. As mentioned they were going for Winnipeg, but realised they were not going to make it. Gimli, a former British Commenwealth Air Training Plan base built during WW2, about 150 miles north of Winnipeg, was offered and the F/O had trained there during his Air Force career. Gimli has 2 parallel runways, the western runway is closed and part of it is used as a drag strip. During the final approach, the crew could not get 3 greens, the nosegear would not lock down. The Captain realised they were too high, and put the 767 into a side slip. He later said he did not know if this had been tried, but they had no other options left now. Also, they had aimed for the drag stip, not the acutal runway. A freind of mine was instructing there and was about to line up on the active in a Cessna 150, looked to his right and saw the 767 in a slip on very short finals with kids on bikes and cars all trying desparatly to get out of the way. They sat there in that C150 in total suprise and shock! The crew got the 767 down, but the nosegear collapsed on contact with the runway. The aircraft rolled to a stop on the remaining runway. The captain then ordered an evac, and this is where the only injury occured!! Someone broke a leg hitting the ground off the chute! An absolutely amazing feat of airmanship and proves the adage "Never, never, never, never give up". There was no damage to the aircraft apart from the scraping from the runway on the area around the nosegear and the aircraft was back in service about a week or 2 later! The next year I was there we all walked out and looked at the area where they landed and you could still see the groove and scraping on the runway where the nosegear had collapsed. If you dig around, you should be able to find info on this incident, it makes for incredible reading. There was also a made for TV movie recreating this incident.
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To an F16 with engine trouble, "You're number 2 behind the B52 with one engine shut down." Reply "Oh no, not the dreaded 7 engine approach!"
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To an F16 with engine trouble, "You're number 2 behind the B52 with one engine shut down." Reply "Oh no, not the dreaded 7 engine approach!"
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Hello all,
Thanks for the gen. I have found `Freefall` ($1.95 in a book market) and read it. It is by the people who wrote `Midnight Express` and the literary classic `Not Without My Daughter`. Pretty terrible writing - but what an incredible story.
Apparently, the same crew, whilst flying the `Gimli Glider` about a year after the event, experienced the same fuel warning indicators.
`Here we go again` were the words of the captain! This time, though, they did have plenty of fuel on board...
NG...your instructor is immortalised in Freefall. I assume it`s him, as there is mention of a C150 on the other `runway`.
cheers
TrueNorth
Thanks for the gen. I have found `Freefall` ($1.95 in a book market) and read it. It is by the people who wrote `Midnight Express` and the literary classic `Not Without My Daughter`. Pretty terrible writing - but what an incredible story.
Apparently, the same crew, whilst flying the `Gimli Glider` about a year after the event, experienced the same fuel warning indicators.
`Here we go again` were the words of the captain! This time, though, they did have plenty of fuel on board...
NG...your instructor is immortalised in Freefall. I assume it`s him, as there is mention of a C150 on the other `runway`.
cheers
TrueNorth
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Capt pearson wasn't fired due to the royal commission's result:that there was errors on behalf of maintenance/fuellers substituting Imperial in lieu of Metric amounts(half as much)Company release of"no"active fuel gauges(both channels lost)and only loading a 'set'amount instead of 'poss'full tanks
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6000PIC
I normally have a beer with Bob the last Tuesday of every month. I would suggest that your "reliable source" on a scale of 0-10, is batting 0.
What I found surprising, when I flew Fin 604, was the interest shown in the incident by ATC, years after the event.
All "post event" simulator sessions, on all types (Airbus ?, I wasn't flying it at the time), immediately included a "shuttle approach". This interesting exercise is now imitated by most of the world's majors today. More information on this approach can be found on the PPRUNE tech forum.
By the way, Bob is doing very well, as is his F/O, now Capt.
I normally have a beer with Bob the last Tuesday of every month. I would suggest that your "reliable source" on a scale of 0-10, is batting 0.
What I found surprising, when I flew Fin 604, was the interest shown in the incident by ATC, years after the event.
All "post event" simulator sessions, on all types (Airbus ?, I wasn't flying it at the time), immediately included a "shuttle approach". This interesting exercise is now imitated by most of the world's majors today. More information on this approach can be found on the PPRUNE tech forum.
By the way, Bob is doing very well, as is his F/O, now Capt.
