Blown tire blamed for causing passenger plane’s landing gear to collapse in Halifax

The Transportation Safety Board says a blown tire is to blame for the collapse of a passenger plane's landing gear after it touched down at the Halifax airport last month, causing an engine fire and evacuation of the aircraft. The damaged plane is shown on the tarmac after the incident in a Transportation Safety Board handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-TSB

HALIFAX — The Transportation Safety Board says a blown tire is to blame for the collapse of a passenger plane’s landing gear as it touched down in Halifax last month, causing an engine fire and evacuation of the aircraft.

The Air Canada Express flight, operated by regional carrier PAL Airlines, had 73 passengers and four crew members on board, but no one was injured during the rough landing on Dec. 28 at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

The independent board issued a statement today saying a tire on the left side of the De Havilland Dash 8 blew apart as the turboprop aircraft was taking off from the St. John’s International Airport in eastern Newfoundland.

The board’s investigators confirmed finding tire fragments on the runway in St. John’s, but they also found that the crew were unaware of what had happened as the aircraft continued to its destination.

When the plane touched down in Halifax, the blown tire caused a vibration that unlocked a brace stabilizing the landing gear.

As the landing gear collapsed, the left propeller struck the runway, causing a fire in the left engine.

The board says the crew then activated the engine’s extinguisher system and the plane was safely evacuated.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2025.