Halifax Stanfield International Airport with a broken landing gear. The aircraft, operating as Flight AC2259 and run by PAL Airlines, was arriving from St. John's when it experienced a significant malfunction during landing. The plane skidded along the runway and caught fire shortly after touching down.
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The emergency occurred at approximately 9:30 PM local time, with the airport temporarily closing one of its runways while emergency services responded. Despite the alarming circumstances, there were no immediate reports of fatalities. However, passengers were left shaken by the terrifying ordeal.
Nikki Valentine, one of the passengers aboard the flight, shared her experience with CBC News, explaining that the plane’s landing gear failed to deploy properly. «The plane started to sit at about a 20-degree angle to the left and, as that happened, we heard a pretty loud — what almost sounded like a crash sound — as the wing of the plane started to skid along the pavement, along with what I presume was the engine,» Valentine said.
Valentine described how the plane continued to skid for a considerable distance as the pilots worked to bring it to a stop. «The plane shook quite a bit and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane and smoke started coming in the windows,» she said. Despite the chaotic scene, Valentine reported