Miracle on Air Transat 236: The Longest Glide on Commercial Aircraft

Air Transat performed the longest glide on a plane before landing in the Azores. Without engine power, the plane glided for over 70 miles. The aircraft was 65 nautical miles away from Lajes Air Base. The aircraft was dubbed the "Azores Glider" after what could have been a serious incident.

Flight Details

Air Transat Flight 236 from Toronto-Pearson International Airport, Ontario, Canada to Lisbon Airport in Portugal was performed by the A330-243. The total number of people on the plane was over 300. First Officer Dirk de Jager had 4,800 hours of flight time, while the captain had 16,800 flight hours. Captain Piché has flown gliders.

There was a fuel leak on Air Transat Flight 236 when it was over the Atlantic. There was a problem with the aircraft's maintenance that caused the fuel leak. There wasn't enough clearance between the fuel and hydraulic lines because of an incorrect component.

The plane left the gate at Toronto-Pearson with more fuel than required. The flight took off from Toronto at 0:52. The plane developed a fuel leak almost four hours into the flight. The crew noticed a low oil temperature and high oil pressure on the engine. The crew suspected it to be a false warning and informed the Air Transat maintenance control centre in Montreal.

Severe Fuel Leak and Imbalance

The crew was warned of a fuel imbalance at 05:33UTC. The crew had to transfer fuel from the left wing tank to the right one because the pilots weren't aware of the fuel leak. The crew decided to divert to Lajes Air Base in the Azores because they couldn't keep the fuel balance. Three minutes later, they declared a fuel emergency.

After 13 minutes due to fuel starvation, the right engine flamed out while the left engine was still running. The plane was 65 nautical miles from the Lajes airport when its engines failed. The crew said it was possible to ditch at sea.

The emergency Ram Air Turbine was automatically deployed to provide essential power for the aircraft's critical sensors and flight instruments to fly the aircraft. Oxygen masks were dropped in the passenger cabin.

Steep Descent

The crew was assisted by military air traffic controllers and radar from Lajes ATC to carry out an engines-out, visual approach. The crew estimated that they had about 15 to 20 minutes left before they would have to abandon the plane. The air base was seen as an alternative soon after. Captain Piché executed a series of "S" turns to reduce altitude during the engine-out glide.

The plane touched down in Lajes at a speed of 200 knots after gliding for over 75 miles. After the touchdown, the aircraft bounced once, and then touched down again, close to the threshold. The plane stopped after the maximum emergency braking was applied. There were small fires in the area of the left main-gear wheels that were quickly extinguished by the rescue response vehicles that were in position for the emergency landing.

The Captain's skill in conducting the engines out glide to a successful landing averted a catastrophic accident and saved the lives of everyone on board. The Captain was supported by the First Officer during the successful landing.

16 passengers and two cabin crew members were injured when the plane was evacuated. The main landing gear of the plane was damaged due to the hard touchdown and the lower fuselage being damaged by pieces of debris from the main landing gear.

Captain Piché on the 20th Anniversary of Flight 236

The Air Line Pilots Association describes the longest glide on a commercial aircraft as the greatest feat of the last 50 years in civilian piloting, but not everything has been said about it.

I want to know what the future holds for me in the year 2021. Anything is possible, that's what I learned from this. The worst can happen even if you plan. I can't wait to see what life will be like when I grow old.

“I was put on a national hero pedestal, so people don’t think I was scared. But I am a human being like everyone else. I was the first to be afraid.”

Captain Robert Piché

Robert Piché said that people don't want to believe him when he says he's scared.

In December 2001 the aircraft was fixed and returned to service. It was put into storage in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The last flight with Air Transat took place on October 18, 2021.

There is a feature image of theFAA.