Air France Sues GTAA, Ottawa Over 2005 Crash At Pearson

[Gambitt]

Air France Sues GTAA, Ottawa Over 2005 Crash At Pearson
Wednesday June 4, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff

At the time it was called a miracle - the dramatic crash of Air France Flight 358 at Pearson International Airport that didn't claim a single life.

Nearly three years later, the airline is suing the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which runs Pearson, as well as the Canadian government and Nav Canada, the agency in charge of air-traffic control, for $180 million, claiming the runway the plane slid off lacks proper safety margins and doesn't meet international standards.

The Airbus A340 touched down on August 2, 2005 amid a violent thunderstorm, running off the tarmac and into a ravine, where it broke apart and caught fire. All 297 passengers and 12 crewmember survived the crash, although 33 people had to be transported to hospital.

Air France's statement of claim, filed with Ontario Superior Court, claims the "GTAA failed to provide a safe environment for the conduct of civil air operations." It suggested Runway 24 Left, which the Airbus A340 jet landed on, isn't long enough and doesn't provide enough leeway for jets in the event of an overrun.

Air France blames the federal government, the GTAA and Nav Canada for the accident, as well as the individual air-traffic controllers working that day.

The federal government has responded by saying Air France had operated from the Toronto hub for many years before the crash and was well aware of the length of its runways. Federal officials blamed the pilots, saying the crew didn't calculate a safe landing distance given the inclement weather conditions.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada found in its report on the crash that the Air France plane touched down about halfway along the 2,740-metre runway and was still moving at nearly 150 km/h when it ran off the runway.

Neither the GTAA nor Nav Canada have commented yet on the legal action launched by the carrier, but insist operations are safe at Pearson.

Maybe I'm wrong, (and maybe Steve can help), but isn't it the Pilot's responsibility to ensure that the approach and the landing is safe, depending on the conditions???

If the pilot missed the runway, and landed on the 401; is the MTO responsible, because the bridge under the 427 was too low?

Maybe we should just move some troops from Afganistan, to Paris...  The French will have thier white flags flying, before we can get the Canadian ones up!!! 

[JohnnyCastaway]

Air France's statement of claim, filed with Ontario Superior Court, claims the "GTAA failed to provide a safe environment for the conduct of civil air operations." It suggested Runway 24 Left, which the Airbus A340 jet landed on, isn't long enough and doesn't provide enough leeway for jets in the event of an overrun.

I think this may be a bit reaching, considering the amount of planes that come in and out every day, and that the last incident before this one was 30 + years ago...

 

[Bulldog]

Maybe they could blame Mother Nature for the rain 

WOW are they trying to pass the buck or what !

 

[Milli]

  I suspect the law suit has a lot to do with $$$$$$$$$$$$$!