On the 24th of August 2001, Air Transat Flight 236, traveling from Toronto-Pearson International Airport, ON (YYZ/CYYZ) to Lisboa-Portela de Sacavém Airport (LIS/LPPT) lost all engine power while flying over the Atlantic in the dark. The Airbus A330 ran out of fuel due to a leak caused by improper maintenance. Captain Robert Piché, and First Officer Dirk DeJager managed to glide the plane to a safe emergency landing in the Azores, saving all 306 people on board. This incident set the record for the longest passenger aircraft glide without engines, covering nearly 65 nautical miles (120 km; 75 mi), earning the plane the nickname “Azores Glider.”
The Portuguese Aviation Accidents Prevention and Investigation Department (GPIAAF), working with Canadian and French authorities, investigated the accident and found that it was mainly caused by the crew’s mishandling of a fuel leak in the number two engine.
The fuel leak happened because Air Transat maintenance staff accidentally fitted the wrong part to the hydraulic system during routine work. The engine had been swapped with an older spare from Rolls-Royce that didn’t have a hydraulic pump. Even though the lead mechanic raised concerns, Air Transat approved using a part from a similar engine. This adaptation left only a few millimetres of clearance between the hydraulic and fuel lines, which caused them to rub against each other until the fuel line ruptured, leading to the leak.
Air Transat accepted responsibility for the accident and was fined C$250,000 by the Canadian government, which is the largest fine in Canadian history.
The fuel leak happened because Air Transat maintenance staff accidentally fitted the wrong part to the hydraulic system during routine work. The engine had been swapped with an older spare from Rolls-Royce that didn’t have a hydraulic pump. Even though the lead mechanic raised concerns, Air Transat approved using a part from a similar engine. This adaptation left only a few millimetres of clearance between the hydraulic and fuel lines, which caused them to rub against each other until the fuel line ruptured, leading to the leak.
Air Transat accepted responsibility for the accident and was fined C$250,000 by the Canadian government, which is the largest fine in Canadian history.
Aircraft Information:
Airline: Air Transat
Code: TS/TSC
Aircraft: Airbus A330-243
Registration: C-GITS
Serial Number: 271
Engines: 2 x Rolls-Royce Trent 772BFirst Flew: 17/03/1999
Age: 2.5 Years
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