Plane on fire at YYZ
 

Just posted on canadian news wire

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/natio...ane050802.html

Live Pictures
 

Live pictures just shown on CNN...plane is well ablaze...lets hope there was a delay before the fire to allow the pax to escape...Wish all on board well...Weather looks pretty poor...very wet and overcast there....No details on airline....reports say about 200 pax on board

CBC and CTV both currently showing live pictures. Aircraft is substantially on fire, very bad scene. Being referred to as "737" of "Lufthansa" with "200 on board" - obviously not all correct. Let's hope not too many casualties.

Jimbo

Air France A340, CDG-YYZ.

Now live report on BBC News 24.

Canadian newspapers report an Air France flight on fire.

www.cyberpresse.ca

August 2, 2005

Jet accident at Pearson airport

TORONTO (CP) — A passenger jet burst into flames after skidding off the runway at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

The type of plane and number of passengers was not immediately available.

Smoke billowed from a wooded area near Highway 401, Canada’s busiest highway.

Peel police say the craft was an Air France passenger jet that was attempting to land when it ran into trouble.

Sgt. Glyn Griffiths said passengers saw flames from the window but couldn’t say whether they had been removed from the plane.

Emergency crews were enroute to the scene.

Clearly a very major incident. The a/c is still on fire.

Overshot runway on landing - wet runway, but weather not looking particularly bad.

Doesn't look good from the live TV...

Further from CBC Newsworld...

Went off the end of 24L into a ravine just short of Highway 401, no reports of injuries yet at 4:47 PM local. Heavy downpour at time of accident.

Live video feed at www.pulse24.com

CNN now interviewing former US Airways A330 pilot. Some very intelligent comments, discouraging immediate finger pointing at crew. Weather clearly bad; heavy rains reported, etc, thunderstorms and more expected.

Sadly, initial reports don't look good for survivors.

AF 358/A340-300.

I don't see ambulances moving back and forth, which is either very good news or very bad news...

Reuters just said "the plane is an A350 and that lightning was present at the airport and may have contributed to the crash". So, as usual, journalists doing their very best to check their facts... Sigh.

Recent TAFs/METARs for YYZ
 

METAR: CYYZ 021800Z 12002KT 8SM -TSRA SCT035TCU BKN090 23/22 A3003 RERA RMK TCU3AC3 CB ASOCTD SLP167
TAF: CYYZ 022039Z 022118 30015G25KT P6SM BKN040 TEMPO 2122 1SM TSRA BKN020CB
FM2200Z 32010KT P6SM BKN040 TEMPO 2224 5SM -SHRA BR PROB30 2224 2SM TSRA BKN020CB
FM0000Z VRB03KT P6SM BKN030 PROB30 0812 1SM BR RMK NXT FCST BY 00Z

Anyone care to comment on the "SLP167" appended to the end of the METAR, its been a while since I flew in North America/Canada.

Thoughts going out to the Passengers and Crew.

The 'talking head' for CNN is John Wiley. Very good background explanation from him and refuses to pander to the sensational. He's a very long term member of forums such as AvSig and is no stranger to PPRuNe.

Tragic circumstances but at least someone is at last offering calm, rational information.

Rob

Sea Level Pressure 1016.7

Well the aircraft has come to rest upright just left of the runway which is initially encouraging. Just hope they managed to get everyone off in the vital first 90 seconds because the aircraft was, and still is, very much ablaze.

Fingers crossed.

VFE.

Bad CB in the Area at the time.........News reporting 20 years to the day, Delta L-1011 crashed at KDFW due to Microburst from CB.

In listening to the ATC Archive for CYYZ from 1530 to 1600 hours, Weather was of concern, but ATC was reporting weather 7 to 12 miles north of the field.

http://www.liveatc.ne

click on archive,

click on CYYZ,

select 1530 to 1600,

click submit.

Of interest, a comair RJ is asking about weather they have on their Radar right over the field, not once, but twice. She is questioning the weather over the field several times as looking very heavy. Time frame around 1540 hrs.

Sky News reporting 291 on board but both pilots are safe.

Same gulley that claimed a DC-9 in 1978.

I've been watching for some time and it appeared the initial fire started in the tail - is there a fuel tank there ?
Looks completely engulfed now but there ought to have been time for an evacuation, let's hope so. I don't think ambulances would be able to get down there and the survivors would be led away on the other side from what the feed is showing. Fingers crossed.

Air France flight AF358 Paris-Toronto.