Air Transat Flight 236

Air Transat Flight 236 was a transatlantic flight bound for Lisbon, Portugal, from Toronto, Canada, that lost all engine power while flying over the Atlantic Ocean on August 24, 2001. The Airbus A330 ran out of fuel because of a fuel leak caused by improper maintenance. Captain Robert Piché, 48, an experienced glider pilot, and First Officer Dirk DeJager, 28, glided the plane to a successful emergency landing in the Azores, saving all 306 people (293 passengers and 13 crew) on board. Most of the passengers on the flight were Canadians visiting Europe or Portuguese expatriates returning to visit family in Portugal. This was also the longest passenger aircraft glide without engines, gliding for nearly 75 miles (121 km; 65 nmi). Following this unusual aviation accident, this aircraft was nicknamed the "Azores Glider".

Air Transat Flight 236
C-GITS, the aircraft involved, seen in 1999, 2 years before the incident
Accident
DateAugust 24, 2001 (2001-08-24)
SummaryFuel exhaustion due to fuel leak caused by improper maintenance, complicated by pilot error
SiteLajes Airport/Air Force Base,
Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal
42.733°N 23.083°W / 42.733; -23.083
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A330-243
OperatorAir Transat
IATA flight No.TS236
ICAO flight No.TSC236
Call signTRANSAT 236 HEAVY
RegistrationC-GITS
Flight originToronto Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DestinationPortela Airport, Lisbon, Portugal
Occupants306
Passengers293
Crew13
Fatalities0
Injuries18 (16 minor, 2 major)
Survivors306
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