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 . Following this unusual aviation accident, this aircraft was nicknamed the "
Azores Glider".
Provided by Wikipedia