Bad landing shows need for storm plan, TSB says

An investigation into a 2014 incident at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport has further shown the need for clear standards on avoiding landing amid thunderstorms, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada says.

After completing an investigation into a plane veering off the runway, which happened when an Air Canada flight attempted to land in Montreal in October 2014, the safety board is urging Transport Canada to follow through with recommendations that it establish clear standards for limiting approaches and landings in challenging weather.

The plane landed while a thunderstorm was detected north of the airport.

At the time, the only runway available was operating without lights, which were out of order.

As it approached, the rain and wind picked up, forcing the airplane to deviate from its path.

It eventually landed more to the left than it was supposed to, with its tires rolling off the runway for a distance of about 600 feet, the

safety board’s report says.

“During the final approach, weather conditions had changed rapidly to those requiring runway lighting,” the safety board noted in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“As the runway lights were not working, that runway should not have been used under those weather conditions.”

Aéroports de Montréal, which operates the airport, has since reviewed its conditions for closing a runway when its lighting is out of service, the board noted.

The incident shows how flight conditions can dramatically and abruptly change when a thunderstorm is detected in the area, the board said.

“If Transport Canada does not take action to develop clear standards for avoiding thunderstorms during approach and landing, approaches in the presence of thunderstorms will continue, exposing aircrafts to multiple, unpredictable hazards.”