Pacific Western Airlines Flight 501
.jpg) The aircraft involved in the accident. | |
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 22, 1984 |
| Summary | Fire |
| Site | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Passengers | 114 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 27 (5 serious, 22 minor) |
| Survivors | 119 (all) |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-275 |
| Operator | Pacific Western Airlines |
| Registration | C-GQPW[1] |
Pacific Western Airlines Flight 501 was a regularly scheduled flight from Calgary to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The aircraft caught fire during takeoff on March 22, 1984.
Accident description
The Boeing 737, registered C-GQPW, taxied from the gate at Calgary International Airport at 7:35 AM and proceeded to take off on runway 34, carrying five crew members and 114 passengers. At 7:42 AM, a loud popping sound was heard 20 seconds into the takeoff run. The aircraft began to vibrate and veer to the left, and a fire broke out in the rear of the aircraft. The pilot, Stan Fleming, managed to abort the take-off.
An emergency evacuation was ordered as the fire spread throughout the aircraft. Five people were seriously injured and 22 suffered minor injuries, but no-one was killed. The aircraft was destroyed by the fire.
The fire was attributed to a faulty compressor disc that blew apart, rupturing the fuel tanks. This incident was similar to the cause of the British Airtours Flight 28M disaster that claimed 55 lives in 1985.
External links
- Final accident report (Archive)
- Photos of the crash
- Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
Coordinates: 51°07′21″N 114°00′47″W / 51.1225°N 114.0130°W
- ↑ "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register". Transport Canada.