Air France Flight 358 was a regularly scheduled international flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, to Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario, Canada. On the afternoon of 2 August 2005, while landing at Pearson airport, the Airbus A340-313 operating the route overran the runway and crashed into nearby Etobicoke Creek, approximately 1,000 ft beyond the end of the runway. All 309 passengers and crew on board the Airbus survived, but 12 people sustained serious injuries. The accident highlighted the vital role played by highly trained flight attendants during an emergency.
Due to inclement weather, 540 flights departing and arriving at Pearson were cancelled. Many small and mid-sized aircraft due to arrive were diverted to other Canadian airports in Ottawa, 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.
Jean Lapierre, the Canadian minister of transport, referred to Flight 358 as a "miracle" because everyone on board survived, despite the aircraft's complete destruction. Other press sources described the accident as the "Miracle in Toronto", the "Toronto Miracle, the " 'Miracle' Escape," and the "Miracle of Runway 24L."
The accident was investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), with a final report issued in December 2007. The unfavourable weather conditions, and the poor landing decisions made by the flight crew, were found to be major factors leading to the crash. The visibility was poor, the assigned runway was short (the airport's shortest), the plane touched down nearly halfway through the runway and the thrust reversers were not on full power until 17 seconds after touchdown.
Specifications
General Characteristics
- Predecessor [Thank you for 60 followers] Airbus A340-200 Air France Asie
- Created On iOS
- Wingspan 197.8ft (60.3m)
- Length 195.1ft (59.5m)
- Height 54.5ft (16.6m)
- Empty Weight N/A
- Loaded Weight 147,808lbs (67,044kg)
Performance
- Power/Weight Ratio 0.489
- Horse Power/Weight Ratio 0.04
- Wing Loading 30.2lbs/ft2 (147.4kg/m2)
- Wing Area 4,895.6ft2 (454.8m2)
- Drag Points 4124
Parts
- Number of Parts 956
- Control Surfaces 8
- Performance Cost 5,177
That's fine, but this looks like an A340-200...