The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
In 2001, an Air Transat jet carrying 306 people ran out of fuel over the Atlantic after a leak; Captain R
A routine transatlantic journey from Canada to Portugal became a fight for survival when an Air Transat passenger jet lost both its engines over the Atlantic Ocean in August 2001. With no engine power and land still some distance away, Captain Robert Piché and First Officer Dirk DeJager had to guide the aircraft towards an airport in the Azores, relying on the plane's ability to glide.
An Air Transat passenger jet lost both of its engines over the Atlantic in August 2001 while flying from Canada to Portugal, leaving the aircraft without power and the destination still distant. The flight involved 306 people on board, with a crew of 13 on an Airbus A330-243.
The crew, Captain Robert Piché and First Officer Dirk DeJager, piloted the unpowered airliner toward an emergency landing at Lajes Airport on Terceira Island in the Azores. The aircraft glided for about 19 minutes after engine loss, relying on the ram air turbine for essential power.
Lajes Airport received radar guidance to assist the descent as the crew maneuvered the aircraft in a gliding approach. The airplane touched down on Runway 33 at approximately 200 knots, after an unpowered flight segment.
All 306 people aboard survived the landing, though several passengers and crew members were injured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to its landing gear and lower fuselage during the hard touchdown and subsequent stop on the runway.
Investigations traced the fuel leak to a maintenance error that placed a hydraulic line too close to a fuel line, causing a crack and fuel loss. The incident prompted changes to procedures and warnings related to fuel leaks, with Air Transat accepting responsibility and facing a fine.