Update:
The driver of the fuel truck that crashed into an Air Canada Express plane as it taxied to its gate at Toronto's Pearson Aiport early Friday morning has been charged with dangerous driving.
Original:
Another harrowing experience for passengers onboard an Air Canada Express flight early Friday morning in Toronto.
After not being able to land in Sudbury due to fog late Thursday night, flight 8615 operated by Jazz Aviation returned to Toronto’s Pearson Airport.
Airline officials say when the plane landed and began to taxi to the gate, it was struck by a fuel truck at 1:36 am.
Crews brought the aircraft to a stop; passengers exited and were escorted to the terminal.
The Dash 8-300 had 50 passengers and three crew members onboard.
Paramedics assessed everyone. The three crew members and two of the passengers were transported to hospital for further assessment and have all since been released.
This after a fire broke out on the brakes of an Air Canada Express flight heading to Sudbury from Toronto Wednesday night.
The plane was evacuated on the tarmac.
There were no injuries in that incident, but it left many shaken up.
CTV News caught up with Paul Frontczak as he arrived Friday morning just after 9 am at the Greater Sudbury Airport. He was onboard the flight that was hit by a fuel truck in Toronto early this morning.
He described his experience.
“So, I was on the last leg of my journey from Sydney, Australia and the flight was delayed several times to come to Sudbury, and finally it got released and we flew here to Sudbury. Fog was extremely thick. We circled probably about 30 to 40 minutes and then the pilot decided we’ve got to go back. He couldn’t land it. So, the landing was fine. We were approaching the terminal and on the left side, a vehicle, a large vehicle was barreling. It appeared parallel to us, but suddenly ‘bang’ it hit the front of the aircraft. Threw the aircraft in one direction, it spun to the opposite, and then it looks like either the front or the rear of it hit the back of the airplane.” said Frontczak.
He says passengers began screaming after the impact.
“The worst thing was, almost immediately, so it came to a stop. It seemed to be sliding and I think it was because it was wet, all the rain on the road. So, yeah, there were quite a few yells and stuff, and it stopped pretty quickly, but then we started to smell aviation fuel and that’s when panic started.” said Frontczak.
Judi McMartin was also a passenger on flight 8615.
“A fuel truck kind of came out of nowhere, hit the front of the plane where the pilot was, spun us around, hit the back, where I was, and it just shook. I’ve never in my life, you know if you grabbed a little kid’s toy and shook it. And scared a lot of people. I saw it coming right at the very end, so I braced myself, but most everybody else didn’t.” said McMartin.
