The aircraft failed to stop on the runway,
plunged into nearby Etobicoke Creek, and came to
rest, bursting into flames, approximately 300
meters past the end of the runway. The Airbus
A340-300 had 309 people aboard 297 passengers
(two of them infants, without seats) and 12 crew
all of whom survived, with only 12 sustaining
serious injuries. The accident highlighted the
role played by highly-trained flight attendants
during an emergency situation.
Due to poor weather, 540 flights departing and
arriving at Pearson were cancelled. Many small
and mid-size aircraft due to arrive were
diverted to other Canadian airports in Ottawa,
London, Hamilton, and Winnipeg. Most of the
larger aircraft were diverted to Montreal,
Syracuse, New York, and Buffalo, New York.
Flights from Vancouver were turned back. The
crash of Air France Flight 358 was the biggest
crisis to hit Toronto Pearson since the
airport's involvement in Operation Yellow
Ribbon.
The goal is to reduce the occurrence of one of
the most common types of air accidents by
providing operational and system recommendations
to aircraft operators, air navigation service
providers, airports, and regulatory authorities.
In 2011, 13% of all accidents in European
airspace were runway excursions. Globally,
runway excursions are 19% of all accidents.
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