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''' (1935 UTC). On , coming to rest and bursting into flames approximately 200 metres past the end of the runway. The Airbus A340-313X had 309 people aboard (297 passengers and 12 crew), all of whom survived with no life-threatening injuries. Landings at Pearson were halted, and for several hours subsequent flights to Toronto were diverted to other Canadian airports in were turned back. Some 540 flights were cancelled. The crash occurred on the 20th anniversary of the crash of Delta Air Lines Flight 191 during landing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. The crash of Air France Flight 358 was the biggest crisis to hit Toronto Pearson since the airport's involvement in Operation Yellow Ribbon . AIRCRAFT DETAILS
NARRATIVE The accident occurred on with 297 passengers and 12 crew, overshot the end of runway 24L at Toronto Pearson International Airport and came to rest in a small ravine 200 meters past the end of the runway. All passengers and crew evacuated successfully. There were 43 minor injuries and no fatalities. The aircraft was destroyed by a post-crash fire. The flight landed during reports of strong winds, heavy rain, and severe thunderstorms near the airport (see Weather , below), and touched down further along the runway than usual. Some passengers report that the plane was rocking from side to side before landing, possibly due to turbulence and gusting winds associated with the storm systems. The plane was cleared to land at 20:00 UTC on Runway 24L, which at 9,000 feet (2,728 m) in length, was the shortest runway in Pearson Airport. After touchdown, the aircraft did not stop before the end of the runway, but continued for 200 meters until it slid into the Etobicoke Creek ravine, on the western edge of the airport near the interchange of Dixie Road and Highway 401 , one of the busiest highways in the world. The fire began in the middle of the plane, blocking some of the emergency exits, but the crew managed to evacuate everyone within 90 seconds. The first officer was the last to leave the plane. Some emergency exit slides also failed to properly deploy. After the crash, some passengers, including those who were injured, scrambled up the ravine to Highway 401, which runs slightly parallel to the runway. 2005 , and investigators were able to begin their work. The accident snarled traffic throughout Toronto's highway system. Highway 401 is the main freeway through the Greater Toronto Area , and the crash occurred near the highway's widest point where 18 lanes of traffic travel between Highway 403 , Highway 410 and Highway 427 . The accident also caused the cancellation or diversion of hundreds of flights, with ripple effects throughout the North American air system. By the night, four of the five runway surfaces were back in service, but the flight (and passenger) backlog continued through the next day. |
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