TSB: Airbus departing Victoria too close to 747
When Air Canada flight 190 left Victoria’s Pat Bay Airport January 10, 2008 for a routine early morning flight to Toronto there were no indications the Airbus would soon be violently tossed in the air like a toy, injuring several passengers and causing an emergency landing.
Air Canada C-CBHZ is seen here in this 2005 photo. The Airbus was caught in the wake of a 747 in January, 2010. From a Creative Commons image by Wikipedia contributor Jolenine.
In a report released this week by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board, investigators reveal that existing minimum aircraft separation regulations were not enough to prevent the powerful wake from a United Airlines 747 from sending the twin-engine Air Canada jet into a series of violent rolls over Washington State. The out of control plane plummeted 10,000 feet before the pilots regained control and diverted to a safe landing in Calgary.
TSB map showing the location of the wake turbulence incident south of Penticton in Washington State. The dashed line indicates the Airbus' departure from Victoria and the emergency landing route to Calgary. The dotted line shows the path of the leading United 747 Courtesy Transportation Safety Board.
The incident caused chaos inside the Airbus, with food trolleys and baggage pitched about the cabin and several instances of unbelted passengers being flung against the ceiling. Nine people were sent to hospital in Calgary with injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to burns caused by spilled beverages.
TSB investigators said despite the fact the smaller Airbus was 20 kilometres behind the United 747–a safe distance according to regulations–the turbulence was still strong enough to send the plane into a series of violent rolls. The report also says the pilot’s forceful application of the rudder likely did more harm than good during the emergency and recommended limiters be placed on rudders so that emergency applications of the tail-mounted stabilizer won’t exacerbate already unstable flight.
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Responses to this Headline or Article
The five most recent replies to VibrantVictoria.ca's discussion forum's Victoria International Airport (YYJ) thread, the most relevant thread to the above headline or article:
G-Man
Jan 19, 2012 at 9:41 am^ Alaska does the same thing. Just select fare calendar when looking for tickets. You can find days that are discounted 50%. If I were in the bus a Allegiant feeder route from Vic would seem to make sense to me from Vic. I mean we ar doing this from Victoria to Sea and YVR why not to Bellingham. Let alone the fact that Bellingham is a really nice city with some great stuff to do around it.
While I am on it. Why there is not a Sidney to Bellingham Passenger ferry is beyond me as well. We seem to treat one of our closest geographic neighbours as if it does not exist!
AllseeingEye
Jan 19, 2012 at 2:01 pmSome good points here to be sure; on a postive note re: YYJ one nice charter option for those heading to the Mayan particularly, where we're headed also in March, is the CanJet direct flight option to Cancun. Nice not having to dog-leg via Calgary or Edmonton. Also CanJet's departure/arrival times are some of the best in the industry.
Bob Fugger
Jan 19, 2012 at 2:27 pmQuote: In March I am travelling with my sister's family to Oahu. They are driving down from Qualicum, taking the ferry from Nanaimo to Tsawassen and then driving to Seattle the night before ourHawaiian Air flight. (Flights from YVR to HON are much more expensive and don't arrive at convenient times). I had originally planned to fly YYJ - SEA on Horizon , but the quotes on the return flight were going to be more than the cost of a return flight from SEA to Honolulu. This seemed outrageous to me. I will now be taking the ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawassen and joining my sister's family for their drive to Seattle. 2 nights in an airport hotel before/after the Hawaii flights is substantially cheaper than flying YYJ-SEA return.
You can do Kenmore Air from the Inner Harbour direct to Sea-Tac for less than $300 - in 2 hours. That's half of the Full Flex Horizon fare, plus you don't have to deal with YYJ at all.
Bingo
Jan 19, 2012 at 2:35 pmQuote: You can do Kenmore Air from the Inner Harbour direct to Sea-Tac for less than $300 - in 2 hours.
Seat-Tac was closed earlier this morning due to the freezing rain on the runways.
G-Man
Jan 19, 2012 at 2:43 pmKenmore also accepts Alaska Airmiles and the cost to fly to Seattle is like 10k miles which is pretty good!
