Air Transat Flight 236
Encyclopedia
Air Transat Flight 236 was an Air Transat
route between Toronto
, Canada and Lisbon
, Portugal flown by Captain Robert Piché
and First Officer Dirk De Jager. On August 24, 2001, the flight ran out of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean with 306 people (293 passengers and 13 crew) aboard. The flight crew managed to glide the unpowered aircraft to a successful emergency landing
in the Azores
with no loss of life.
Most of the passengers on the flight were Canadians visiting Europe and Portuguese expatriate
s returning to visit family in Portugal.
) on Friday August 24, 2001 (local time: 8:52 p.m. (EST
) on Thursday August 23, 2001) bound for Lisbon. There were 293 passengers and thirteen crew members on board. The aircraft was an Airbus A330
manufactured in 1999, configured with 362 seats and placed in service by Air Transat in April 1999. Leaving the gate in Toronto, the aircraft had 47.9 tonnes of fuel on board, 5.5 tonnes more than required by regulations.
At 05:16 UTC, a cockpit warning system chimed and warned of low oil temperature and high oil pressure on engine no. 2. There is no obvious connection between an oil temperature or pressure problem and a fuel leak. Consequently Captain Piché and co-pilot DeJager suspected these were false warnings and shared their observations with their maintenance control centre, who advised them to monitor the situation.
At 05:36 UTC, the pilots received a warning of fuel imbalance. Believing at this point that they didn't have a fuel leak, they followed a standard procedure to remedy the imbalance by transferring fuel from the port to the near-empty starboard tank.
Unknown to the pilots, the aircraft had developed a fuel leak in a fuel line to its right engine. The fuel transfer caused fuel from the operational side of the aircraft to be wasted through the leak in the engine on the other side. The leak, which averaged at 1 gallon per second, caused a higher than normal fuel flow through the fuel-oil heat exchanger (FOHE). The FOHE is designed to transfer heat from engine oil to fuel for both cooling and efficiency purposes. The increased fuel flow caused both the drop in oil temperature, as well as the rise in oil pressure that the pilots had observed earlier.
At 05:45 UTC, the pilots decided to divert to Lajes Air Base in the Azores
, still unsure if they really had a fuel leak or not. They declared a fuel emergency with Santa Maria Oceanic air traffic control three minutes later.
At 06:13 UTC, while still 135 miles (217.3 km) from Lajes, engine no. 2 on the right wing flamed out because of fuel starvation. Captain Piché ordered full thrust from the remaining operational engine, and the plane descended to 33000 feet (10,058.4 m), unable to stay at its 39000 feet (11,887.2 m) cruising altitude with only one engine operating. Ten minutes later, the crew sent a Mayday
to Santa Maria Oceanic air traffic control.
Thirteen minutes later, engine no. 1 also flamed out at while the aircraft was still approximately 65 nautical miles (120.4 km) from Lajes Air Base. Without engine power, the aircraft not only lost thrust, but also its primary source of electrical power. The emergency ram air turbine
was deployed automatically to provide essential power for critical sensors and instruments to fly the aircraft. However the aircraft lost its main hydraulic power which operates the flaps
, brakes, and spoilers
.
Military air traffic controllers who were tracking the aircraft on their radar system guided the aircraft to the airport. While Piché flew the plane, DeJager monitored its descent rate — around 2000 feet (600 metres) per minute — and calculated that the plane had about 15 to 20 minutes left before they had to ditch the plane in the water. The crew sighted the air base a few minutes later. Piché had to execute a series of 360 degree turns to lose speed and altitude. Although they successfully lined up with Runway 33, they faced a new danger. The plane was on a final descent, going faster than optimal. Although they had unlocked the slats and deployed the landing gear, the airspeed was still too high. Additionally, the aircraft would be unable to use its thrust reversers to slow the plane during the landing.
At 06:45 UTC, the plane touched down hard 1030 feet (313.9 m) down Runway 33 at a speed of approximately 200 knots (392 km/h), instead of the 170 knots (333.2 km/h) recommended for an unpowered landing. The aircraft bounced back into the air, but touched down again 2800 feet (853.4 m) from the approach end of the runway and came to a stop 7600 feet (2,316.5 m) from the approach end of the 10000 feet (3,048 m) runway. With the operation of the emergency brakes, eight tires burst. Fourteen passengers and two crew members suffered minor injuries during the evacuation of the aircraft. Two passengers suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries.
The favourable outcome was partly attributable to the flight being rerouted at the last minute via a more southerly air corridor
across the Atlantic than initially planned, which brought the aircraft within range of the Azores.
(GPIAA) investigated the incident along with Canadian and French authorities.
The investigation revealed that the cause of the incident was a fuel leak in the number two engine, caused by an incorrect part installed in the hydraulics
system by Air Transat
maintenance staff. The part, which was adapted from a similar engine, did not maintain adequate clearance between the hydraulic lines and the fuel line. This allowed vibration in the hydraulic lines to degrade the fuel line and cause the leak. Air Transat
accepted responsibility for the incident and was fined CAD
250,000 by the Canadian government, which is still the largest fine in Canadian history.
Although pilot error was listed as one of the lead causes for the incident, it was the skill of the pilots, and of the military Air Traffic Controller
in service at the time, 1st Sgt. José Ramos, that allowed the flight to land without fuel, causing only minor injuries to the passengers and minor damage to the airplane, which is still in service. The pilots returned to a heroes' welcome from the Québec press.
The incident also led to the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile
(DGAC) and Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) issuing an Airworthiness Directive
, forcing all operators of Airbus
model A318-100
, A319-100
, A320-200
, A321-100
, and A321-200
Series aeroplanes; and Model A320-111
aeroplanes to change the flight manual, stressing that crews should check that any fuel imbalance is not caused by a fuel leak before opening the cross-feed valve. The French Airworthiness Directive (AD) required all airlines operating these Airbus models to make revisions to the Flight Manual before any further flights were allowed. The FAA gave a 15-day grace period before enforcing the AD. Airbus also modified its computer systems; the on-board computer now checks all fuel levels against the flight plan. It now gives a clear warning if more fuel is being lost than the engines can consume. Rolls-Royce
also issued a bulletin advising of the incompatibility of the affected engine parts.
television series (also known as Air Crash Investigation and as Air Emergency) was made about this incident. The episode's name is "Flying on Empty".
MSNBC
also produced a report on the incident, entitled "A Wing and A Prayer".
The story of Robert Piché is depicted in the 2010 French Canadian
biographical drama film
Entre ciel et terre ("Between Sky and Earth") culminating with the events on Flight 236. Captain Piché is portrayed by both Genie Award
-winning actor Michel Côté
and his son Maxime LeFlaguais.
Air Transat
Air Transat is an airline based in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, operating scheduled and charter flights, serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. Inc. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and in the winter season the...
route between Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada and Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal flown by Captain Robert Piché
Robert Piché
Robert Piché is a Canadian pilot. On 24 August 2001, he was captain of the Airbus A330 flying Air Transat Flight 236 and managed to land the aircraft safetly in the Azores after it lost all power due to fuel exhaustion...
and First Officer Dirk De Jager. On August 24, 2001, the flight ran out of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean with 306 people (293 passengers and 13 crew) aboard. The flight crew managed to glide the unpowered aircraft to a successful emergency landing
Emergency landing
An emergency landing is a landing made by an aircraft in response to a crisis which either interferes with the operation of the aircraft or involves sudden medical emergencies necessitating diversion to the nearest airport.-Types of emergency landings:...
in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
with no loss of life.
Most of the passengers on the flight were Canadians visiting Europe and Portuguese expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s returning to visit family in Portugal.
Incident
Flight TS 236 took off from Toronto at 0:52 (UTCCoordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
) on Friday August 24, 2001 (local time: 8:52 p.m. (EST
Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
) on Thursday August 23, 2001) bound for Lisbon. There were 293 passengers and thirteen crew members on board. The aircraft was an Airbus A330
Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
manufactured in 1999, configured with 362 seats and placed in service by Air Transat in April 1999. Leaving the gate in Toronto, the aircraft had 47.9 tonnes of fuel on board, 5.5 tonnes more than required by regulations.
At 05:16 UTC, a cockpit warning system chimed and warned of low oil temperature and high oil pressure on engine no. 2. There is no obvious connection between an oil temperature or pressure problem and a fuel leak. Consequently Captain Piché and co-pilot DeJager suspected these were false warnings and shared their observations with their maintenance control centre, who advised them to monitor the situation.
At 05:36 UTC, the pilots received a warning of fuel imbalance. Believing at this point that they didn't have a fuel leak, they followed a standard procedure to remedy the imbalance by transferring fuel from the port to the near-empty starboard tank.
Unknown to the pilots, the aircraft had developed a fuel leak in a fuel line to its right engine. The fuel transfer caused fuel from the operational side of the aircraft to be wasted through the leak in the engine on the other side. The leak, which averaged at 1 gallon per second, caused a higher than normal fuel flow through the fuel-oil heat exchanger (FOHE). The FOHE is designed to transfer heat from engine oil to fuel for both cooling and efficiency purposes. The increased fuel flow caused both the drop in oil temperature, as well as the rise in oil pressure that the pilots had observed earlier.
At 05:45 UTC, the pilots decided to divert to Lajes Air Base in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, still unsure if they really had a fuel leak or not. They declared a fuel emergency with Santa Maria Oceanic air traffic control three minutes later.
At 06:13 UTC, while still 135 miles (217.3 km) from Lajes, engine no. 2 on the right wing flamed out because of fuel starvation. Captain Piché ordered full thrust from the remaining operational engine, and the plane descended to 33000 feet (10,058.4 m), unable to stay at its 39000 feet (11,887.2 m) cruising altitude with only one engine operating. Ten minutes later, the crew sent a Mayday
Mayday (distress signal)
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning "come help me"....
to Santa Maria Oceanic air traffic control.
Thirteen minutes later, engine no. 1 also flamed out at while the aircraft was still approximately 65 nautical miles (120.4 km) from Lajes Air Base. Without engine power, the aircraft not only lost thrust, but also its primary source of electrical power. The emergency ram air turbine
Ram air turbine
A ram air turbine is a small turbine that is connected to a hydraulic pump, or electrical generator, installed in an aircraft and used as a power source...
was deployed automatically to provide essential power for critical sensors and instruments to fly the aircraft. However the aircraft lost its main hydraulic power which operates the flaps
Flap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
, brakes, and spoilers
Spoiler (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, a spoiler is a device intended to reduce lift in an aircraft. Spoilers are plates on the top surface of a wing which can be extended upward into the airflow and spoil it. By doing so, the spoiler creates a carefully controlled stall over the portion of the wing behind it, greatly...
.
Military air traffic controllers who were tracking the aircraft on their radar system guided the aircraft to the airport. While Piché flew the plane, DeJager monitored its descent rate — around 2000 feet (600 metres) per minute — and calculated that the plane had about 15 to 20 minutes left before they had to ditch the plane in the water. The crew sighted the air base a few minutes later. Piché had to execute a series of 360 degree turns to lose speed and altitude. Although they successfully lined up with Runway 33, they faced a new danger. The plane was on a final descent, going faster than optimal. Although they had unlocked the slats and deployed the landing gear, the airspeed was still too high. Additionally, the aircraft would be unable to use its thrust reversers to slow the plane during the landing.
At 06:45 UTC, the plane touched down hard 1030 feet (313.9 m) down Runway 33 at a speed of approximately 200 knots (392 km/h), instead of the 170 knots (333.2 km/h) recommended for an unpowered landing. The aircraft bounced back into the air, but touched down again 2800 feet (853.4 m) from the approach end of the runway and came to a stop 7600 feet (2,316.5 m) from the approach end of the 10000 feet (3,048 m) runway. With the operation of the emergency brakes, eight tires burst. Fourteen passengers and two crew members suffered minor injuries during the evacuation of the aircraft. Two passengers suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries.
The favourable outcome was partly attributable to the flight being rerouted at the last minute via a more southerly air corridor
Air corridor
An air corridor is a designated region of airspace that an aircraft must remain in during its transit through a given region. Air corridors are typically imposed by military or diplomatic requirements...
across the Atlantic than initially planned, which brought the aircraft within range of the Azores.
Investigation
The Portuguese Gabinete de Prevenção e Investigação de Acidentes com AeronavesGabinete de Prevenção e Investigação de Acidentes com Aeronaves
Gabinete de Prevenção e Investigação de Acidentes com Aeronaves is the Portuguese aviation accident and incident investigation authority. The agency is headquartered in Lisbon. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications.-External links:*...
(GPIAA) investigated the incident along with Canadian and French authorities.
The investigation revealed that the cause of the incident was a fuel leak in the number two engine, caused by an incorrect part installed in the hydraulics
Hydraulics
Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...
system by Air Transat
Air Transat
Air Transat is an airline based in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, operating scheduled and charter flights, serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. Inc. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and in the winter season the...
maintenance staff. The part, which was adapted from a similar engine, did not maintain adequate clearance between the hydraulic lines and the fuel line. This allowed vibration in the hydraulic lines to degrade the fuel line and cause the leak. Air Transat
Air Transat
Air Transat is an airline based in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, operating scheduled and charter flights, serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. Inc. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and in the winter season the...
accepted responsibility for the incident and was fined CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
250,000 by the Canadian government, which is still the largest fine in Canadian history.
Although pilot error was listed as one of the lead causes for the incident, it was the skill of the pilots, and of the military Air Traffic Controller
Air traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
in service at the time, 1st Sgt. José Ramos, that allowed the flight to land without fuel, causing only minor injuries to the passengers and minor damage to the airplane, which is still in service. The pilots returned to a heroes' welcome from the Québec press.
The incident also led to the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile
Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile
The Directorate General for Civil Aviation is the French civil aviation authority. It is headquartered in 15th arrondissement of Paris of Paris, 50, rue Henry-Farman. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing.The DGAC levys a civil aviation tax on...
(DGAC) and Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(FAA) issuing an Airworthiness Directive
Airworthiness Directive
An Airworthiness Directive is a notification to owners and operators of certified aircraft that a known safety deficiency with a particular model of aircraft, engine, avionics or other system exists and must be corrected....
, forcing all operators of Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
model A318-100
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
, A319-100
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
, A320-200
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
, A321-100
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
, and A321-200
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
Series aeroplanes; and Model A320-111
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aeroplanes to change the flight manual, stressing that crews should check that any fuel imbalance is not caused by a fuel leak before opening the cross-feed valve. The French Airworthiness Directive (AD) required all airlines operating these Airbus models to make revisions to the Flight Manual before any further flights were allowed. The FAA gave a 15-day grace period before enforcing the AD. Airbus also modified its computer systems; the on-board computer now checks all fuel levels against the flight plan. It now gives a clear warning if more fuel is being lost than the engines can consume. Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
also issued a bulletin advising of the incompatibility of the affected engine parts.
Dramatization
A documentary in the MaydayMayday (TV series)
Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation in the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia and Air Emergency and Air Disasters in the United States, is a Canadian documentary television programme produced by Cineflix investigating air crashes, near-crashes and other disasters...
television series (also known as Air Crash Investigation and as Air Emergency) was made about this incident. The episode's name is "Flying on Empty".
MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
also produced a report on the incident, entitled "A Wing and A Prayer".
The story of Robert Piché is depicted in the 2010 French Canadian
French Canada
French Canada, also known as "Lower Canada", is a term to distinguish the French Canadian population of Canada from English Canada.-Definition:...
biographical drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
Entre ciel et terre ("Between Sky and Earth") culminating with the events on Flight 236. Captain Piché is portrayed by both Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
-winning actor Michel Côté
Michel Côté (actor)
Michel Côté is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his performance in the comedy Broue and his role in Omertà. A graduate of the National Theatre School in 1973, Côté won the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for C.R.A.Z.Y....
and his son Maxime LeFlaguais.
External links
- Accident Investigation Final Report from the Portuguese Aviation Accidents Prevention and Investigation Department (PDF)
- Air Transat's report
- News report on logistical issues after the incident
- CBC NewsCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
article - Captain Robert Piché's Official Website (French only)