Air Canada plane veers off taxiway when landing in Montreal
An Air Canada plane exited the taxiway and slid into the grass beside the tarmac in Montreal on Thursday at approximately 4 p.m.
The plane, traveling from Los Angeles International Airport to Montréal Trudeau International Airport, landed normally on the runway before sustaining a “taxiway excursion” and stopping in the grass, according to an Air Canada statement.
No injuries were reported, the airline said.
The flight’s 156 passengers and six crew members deplaned and were transported to the terminal on buses, according to Air Canada.
The airport’s Emergency Coordination Centre was activated and the runway temporarily closed to facilitate the safe evacuation of passengers, the Montreal airport said in a statement.
Barbara Edelston Peterson, a passenger on the flight, said those aboard the flight are “lucky to be alive.”
“Suddenly, all the smoke, dirt and grass was flying outside,” Edelston Peterson said in an interview with ABC News. “It was amazingly scary."
Edelston Peterson said she was even more frightened by the plane’s wing nearly hitting a steel box on the grass beside the runway.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it is launching an investigation at the scene to determine the cause of the accident.
Air Canada also said it would undertake a detailed investigation of the incident. It said it towed the aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX, to the hangar for a full inspection.
