Communiqués

TSB # A13/2005

(Gatineau, Quebec, June 21, 2005) - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) releases its final report (A04W0032) today into the First Air Boeing 737 aircraft that landed beside the runway at Alberta's Edmonton International Airport on February 25, 2004.

The TSB investigation found that, with deteriorating visibility and with only runway edge lighting for guidance, the pilot was unable to land on the runway.

The TSB identified three important safety risks associated with this incident. First, Canadian regulations, which set minimum visibilities for approaches, may be deficient under certain weather conditions. In this case, the runway lighting available was inadequate for the conditions at the time of the incident. As well, the aircraft was not on the preferred autopilot mode for the approach. Finally, both Canadian regulations and the company's operations manual provide insufficient guidelines on rest and restorative sleep schedules for crews when switching from night flying to day flying or vice versa.

In response to this investigation, the company revised its charter schedule. Flight crews no longer change from day to night flying within the same schedule. The company has also modified its operating procedures for its Boeing 737 fleet to ensure that the appropriate autopilot mode is selected during poor visibility conditions.

Furthermore, the TSB issued a Safety Information Letter to Transport Canada on May 18, 2004, advising of concerns with the standard for airport lighting maintenance.

As a result of recommendations made in a previous TSB investigation (A97H0011), Transport Canada is working on changing its Canadian Aviation Regulations for aircraft approaches in poor visibility to bring Canada in line with international standards. Therefore, the TSB did not make any recommendations in this report.

On February 25, 2004, the Boeing 737 was on a charter flight returning from Lupin, Nunavut, to Edmonton, Alberta. The pilot attempted to land at Edmonton International Airport under conditions of low visibility due to fog. The aircraft touched down in the early morning darkness on the infield just left of the runway and travelled about 1600 feet before correcting course and returning to the runway. During the incident, one runway light, four taxiway lights and a sign were struck by the aircraft; however, neither the passengers nor the flight crew were injured. The aircraft did sustain some damage.

The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

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