Passengers aboard an Air Canada Jazz flight on January 3rd, 2020 were in for a bit of a harrowing ride. During takeoff, one of the wheels on the aircraft started to glow orange before falling off of the aircraft down to the runway. This then prompted the crew to make an emergency landing in Montreal.
Air Canada Jazz Dash 8 loses a wheel
Le Journal de Montreal reports that an Air Canada Jazz aircraft departing Montreal on January 3rd lost a wheel after departure. Onboard the Dash 8-300 turboprop were 49 passengers and three crewmembers. During takeoff, a passenger captured video of the wheel glowing orange before separating from the aircraft. AC8684 remained in the air for some time to burn fuel before returning to Montreal. The aircraft made an emergency landing. However, there were no injuries to passengers or crew.
EXTENDED VIDEO Air Canada Jazz #AC8684 to Saguenay lost a wheel as it departed Montreal yesterday. Sparks were seen prior to separation. The flight returned safely to Montreal.
Video shows departure & wheel falling off, passengers being calm and a smooth landing. pic.twitter.com/o9ey0baikJ— Tom Podolec Aviation (@TomPodolec) January 4, 2020
Data from FlightAware shows that this aircraft spent about two hours around Montreal before making the emergency landing.
The flight is a regularly scheduled commercial flight Montreal to Bagotville in Canada. It is a short flight and generally ends up being about an hour of flight time.
What is Air Canada Jazz?
Much like in the United States, Air Canada contracts out some regional flying to Jazz Aviation. Often referred to as Jazz or Air Canada Jazz, the airline operates regional jets. This includes some Dash 8 aircraft, Bombardier Q400, and Bombardier CRJ jets.
So while the flight appears with an Air Canada number and can be booked as part of an itinerary with Air Canada, the plane and crew itself are operated by Jazz Air. While some aircraft are in an Air Canada Express livery, others are quite colorful.
The Dash 8-300 seats a maximum of 50 passengers, similar to a CRJ200, with Air Canada Jazz. This is in a single-class all-economy configuration. Jazz has 26 of these aircraft in its fleet. However, Jazz also flies a smaller Dash 8-100 in an all-economy configuration with a maximum seating capacity for 37 passengers.
Overall
As a passenger, looking out the window and seeing this would be a harrowing event. However, the flight crew were able to manage the situation and returned safely to Montreal. With everyone on the ground safely, this was one successful emergency landing.
Were you onboard this Air Canada Jazz flight when the wheel separated? What happened? What do you make of this situation? Let us know in the comments!
Simple Flying reached out to Jazz Aviation for comment. However, a comment was not received prior to publication. This article will be updated with a comment accordingly.
