A brand new Air Canada Boeing 767, Flight 143, was outbound over Red Lake Ontario at 41,000 feet. The Engine Indicator and Crew Alerting System beeped four times in quick succession, alerting them to a fuel pressure problem.When a second fuel pressure warning light came on, captain Pearson felt it was too much of a coincidence and made a decision to divert to Winnipeg. Flight 143 requested an emergency clearance and began a gradual descent to 28,000 feet.
The 120-tonne, $40-million plane becomes a glider, dropping at over 600 metres per minute with no hope of reaching Winnipeg. Amazingly, the powerless plane makes a successful emergency landing at an abandoned airbase in Gimli, Manitoba.
3 comment(s):
happy to see the Canadian content. hi from Toronto
"You've got nothing in the center tanks, eh?"
Canadians...gotta love 'em.
I grew up outside of Gimli and remember as a small boy going to church on Sunday, driving past the airport, and seeing that monster plane out there. We were in shock! Definitely a cool story!
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