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PearsonCanada should expand runway safety zones to international code says Air France

Bogtrotter

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By The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Canada should get on board with international standards and increase safety zones at the end of airport runways, the Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday as it released its final report into the Air France crash.

Expanding the safety zones from the current 90 metres to 300 metres was among seven recommendations made to the federal government in the report, which chronicled the Aug. 2, 2005 crash that all 309 crew and passengers miraculously survived.

"The aircraft approached Toronto in a severe and rapidly changing thunderstorm, with shifting winds and limited visibility," said Wendy Tadros, Transportation and Safety Board chairwoman.

"It came in too high and too fast, touching down almost halfway along the wet and slippery runway. It simply ran out of room."

Given those facts, Tadros said the board took a "good hard look at the terrain at the end of Canada's runways."

"To address this risk, (the board) asks that Transport Canada require 300-metre runway end safety areas or an alternate means of stopping aircraft," she said.

"This will bring all of Canada's major airports in line with international benchmarks."

The other recommendations made Tuesday include:

-That Transport Canada establish clear standards limiting approaches and landings in bad weather at Canadian airports.

-Mandatory training for all pilots involved in Canadian air transport operations to better enable them to make landing decisions in deteriorating weather.

-Require crews to establish a margin of error between available landing distance and required landing distance in bad weather.

-Require passenger safety briefings to include clear directions that passengers leave all carry-on baggage behind during an evacuation.

In a release, Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon said that "Transport Canada fully supports the intent of the recommendations."

"Officials are currently reviewing the contents of the report," Cannon said. "Our government's priority is to help ensure the safety and security of the transportation system."

Flight 358 was carrying 297 passengers and a crew of 12 when it tried to land in stormy weather.

It went off the runway into a ravine and burst into flames. Everyone aboard the Airbus A340 managed to escape, but several people were seriously injured.

The board noted that 10 other planes have crashed in similar conditions worldwide since 2005.

The report did not assign blame on the pilot or his crew, but rather identified "systemic" problems that demand the government's attention.
 
It might be a challenge to extend this runway any farther west, given that the Etobicoke Creek ravine (which the plane crashed into) is just off the end of the existing runway. Some kind of structure would have to be built over the creek, which would be capable of supporting a plane.
 
I don't think so, it would have to go a loooong way and there's already a berm between the runways and the 401.

I think the plan is to fill the ravine in rather than build a structure.
 
I don't think so, it would have to go a loooong way and there's already a berm between the runways and the 401.

I think the plan is to fill the ravine in rather than build a structure.

but what will happen to the water flow from the etobicoke creek?
 
They'll put it in a concrete pipe. I think they should look at those technologies that stop aircraft in a short distance. Concrete that crumbles or something like that.
 
ok, a pipe. it sounded like the plan was to just fill it in. :eek:

will they use that nice crushable concrete for the safety zone or just lay out millions of sticky mouse traps? ;)
 
Well yeah... put in a culvert. As cool as it would be I don't think the GTAA has any plans to create their own reservoir.

Runway 05/23 is already built over a branch of Etobicoke creek. They just need to do the same thing 3 more times.
 
You know, had they not landed the plane halfway down the runway, there would have been enough room. We can extend our runways all we want, but the fact that the pilot landed the plane too far down the runway is the reason why this happened in the first place, not a short runway. What happens when we add the 300 metres and a plane lands 3/4's of the way down the runway? Call for more runway extensions?

Im in favour of those crumbling concrete walls, but extending the runway isnt going to stop pilots from overshooting runways.
 
I'm also wondering if there'd be any archaeological issues there (old Etobicoke Creek homestead ghosts, etc)
 
You know, had they not landed the plane halfway down the runway, there would have been enough room. We can extend our runways all we want, but the fact that the pilot landed the plane too far down the runway is the reason why this happened in the first place, not a short runway. What happens when we add the 300 metres and a plane lands 3/4's of the way down the runway? Call for more runway extensions?

Yeah, in this particular case it sounds mildly like blame the runway.
 

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