Communiqués

TSB #A08-2002

Ottawa – November 14, 2002 – The Transportation Safety Board (TSB), today released two Safety Recommendations resulting from an ongoing investigation (A02O0123) into an in-flight fire that occurred on May 13, 2002, aboard an Air Canada 767-300 aircraft.

The recommendations draw attention to the fire risks associated with water line heater ribbon installation failures and with contaminated insulation materials and debris collecting in aircraft spaces. Heater ribbon failure was a contributing factor to the ignition of a fire in the cargo hold of the Air Canada aircraft. Contaminated insulation blankets and debris, collected on the floor of the cargo hold, helped to propagate the fire.

The crew received an indication of fire in the cargo hold. The crew followed emergency procedures and the fire was extinguished using the on-board fire suppression system. The aircraft landed safely and no injuries resulted from the incident.

"We don't believe in holding off our recommendations for a final report. We believe in making our recommendations public as quickly as possible so that appropriate action can be taken to deal with safety deficiencies. Our sole objective is to ensure that problems are fixed, that they are fixed quickly, and fixed for good," said Camille Thériault, Chairman of the TSB. "Should this investigation produce any other issues, be assured that we will make our findings public without delay," he added.

The TSB releases Safety Recommendations prior to the completion of an investigation when it identifies a significant safety issue. This builds on past TSB practice. Over the years, safety recommendations issued prior to the completion of investigations have led to improved transportation safety.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is an independent agency operating under its own Act of Parliament. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or to determine civil or criminal liability.

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The Safety Recommendations and photographs are available on the TSB Internet site.