Air France Crashes in Toronto

[Matt Molnar]

Side note:

Despite the inferno, the fire hoses actually made the plane look cleaner than it did before the crash.

Before: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/892360/L

After: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/892370/L/

:mrgreen:

[jakbar]

Side note:

Despite the inferno, the fire hoses actually made the plane look cleaner than it did before the crash.

Before: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/892360/L

After: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/892370/L/

:mrgreen:

That's hilarious! :)

[K9DEP]

liveatc.net has an archived audio feed of Toronto approach and tower communications on its homepage

also KLM691 which was supposed to land in toronto but could not b/c it was closed because an 'aircraft skidded off the runway' declared an emergency landing in Syracuse b/c of low fuel it landed safely though. And it too can be heard on the same Toronto ATC audio feed

[Yyz717]

The irony of this crash is that the landing occurred on the only one of 10 directional runways at YYZ that ends in a sharp embankment down to a river bed. Any other directional landing would likely have resulted in an over extended rollout onto an active highway which most likely would have resulted in deaths with the 343 still being written off. That no one died is a sheer miracle.

An AC DC9-30 crashed into the same river bed after an aborted take-off in 1978. The fuselage broke in a similar fashion. Two pax died immediately and one soon after. Many more that survived had chronic bakc problems from the resulting freefall of the fuselage onto the river bed. There were calls then for the river bed to be filled in. Hopefully, now it will happen.

Anyway, after the 343 crash, AF flew one more rotation the next day with a 343, and then upgraded to the 773ER for subsequent days. I expect the 343 will return to CDG-YYZ shortly.

Cheers
Neil
YYZ/YTZ

[jakbar]

Many more that survived had chronic bakc problems from the resulting freefall of the fuselage onto the river bed.

How big of a drop is it? From what I can see in the pictures, it looks to me as if there is a downward sloping hill at the end of the runway and that the AF jet simply rolled down the hill until it came to a stop. I can't really see the river bed in the pictures.

Josh

[Yyz717]

Many more that survived had chronic bakc problems from the resulting freefall of the fuselage onto the river bed.

How big of a drop is it? From what I can see in the pictures, it looks to me as if there is a downward sloping hill at the end of the runway and that the AF jet simply rolled down the hill until it came to a stop. I can't really see the river bed in the pictures.

Josh

Probably a 100+ ft drop over several levels with a 30-45 degree decline I would say. The DC-9 perhaps had more speed and careened right onto the river. The 343 was estimated to be travelling at >100mph when it left the grassy runover and probably bumped its way down the steep hill until it came to a stop with much of the rear fuselage and tail still visible from the runway/adjacent highway level.

[PhilDernerJr]

From the photos I saw, I was thinking that it was about 50 feet down or so, and then back up the hill and across a road and down again.

I assume this was what the passengers described as the "roller coaster"?

I think it's time more airports start installing arrestor beds. Toronto was lucky this time.

[Yyz717]

The 343 came to rest about halfway down the river bed. It did not reach bottom.