Airplane Catches Fire During Crash-Landing at Canada Airport: 'Smoke Started Coming in the Windows,' Passenger Recalls

Mar. 15, 2025

An Air Canada plane caught fire during a crash-landing in Nova Scotia this weekend.

On Saturday, Dec. 28, around 9:30 p.m. local time, Air Canada Express Flight 2259 skidded down a runway at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, causing a wing to catch fire, according to videos shared onX(formerly known as Twitter).

Airplane taking off at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia, Canada.Getty

Getty

Customers have yet to receive their belongings, as they are waiting for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to release the plane, Fitzpatrick told the AP.

Air Canada did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, Dec. 29.

Various signage at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.Getty

Halifax Stanfield International Airportsaidin a post on Instagram that its “airfield was closed briefly” following an incident.

“All passengers and crew on board have since been deplaned and have been transported off the airfield,” the airport wrote.

“Safety is our top priority,” the Halifax Stanfield International Airport wrote. “We encourage travelers to check their flight status directly with their airline or on our website before leaving for the airport.”

A spokesperson for the Halifax Stanfield International Airport said in a statement to PEOPLE that the incident occurred upon the flight’s arrival from St. John’s, a city in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Our 24/7 Emergency Response Services team responded immediately to the aircraft and to assist passengers and crew,” they said. “All passengers and crew on board were safely deplaned and transported off the airfield for medical assessment while our ERS team stabilized and inspected the aircraft.”

The Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police told PEOPLE that they responded to the incident alongside first responders.

An Air Canada Express Embraer 170-200 taking off from Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty

Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty

In an interview withCBC, passenger Nikki Valentine alleged one of the plane’s tires did not deploy properly upon landing on the runway.

“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,” she said.

Valentine added that 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.”

The airline incident remains under investigation.

source: people.com