Caught On Cam: Air Canada Boeing Catches Fire Moments After Takeoff, Lands Safely

A Paris-bound Air Canada Boeing flight experienced a frightening incident on June 5 when it burst into flames shortly after take-off from Toronto Pearson Airport.

The incident occurred thirty minutes into the flight, with video footage capturing the right engine emitting a flash before the tail became engulfed in flames due to a small explosion. No crew member or the 389 passengers onboard were injured and the plane made a safe landing back at the airport.

“Flight AC872 from Toronto to Paris on June 5 returned to Toronto shortly after departure due to an engine issue that was determined to be a compressor stall. The aircraft landed normally, and it was met by first responder vehicles as a precaution before it taxied to the gate on its own. Passengers were accommodated on another aircraft later that same evening. There were 389 passengers and 13 crew onboard the Boeing 777 aircraft,” the airline said in a statement.

“Video posted to the internet of the incident shows the engine at the point of compressor stall, which can happen with a turbine engine when its aerodynamics are affected. This can be caused by various factors, but the result is the flow of air through the engine is disrupted causing fuel to ignite further down the engine, which is why flames are visible in the video. It is not the engine itself on fire. Our pilots are highly skilled professionals well trained to safely manage such incidents and in this case the situation was quickly stabilized as per our standard procedures and the aircraft landed normally,” the statement added.

A company representative attributed the fire to an issue with the engine’s compressor and announced that the aircraft would undergo further evaluation by maintenance and engineering professionals before returning to service. After the landing, the plane was inspected by airport response vehicles as part of standard operating procedures. Passengers were subsequently accommodated on another flight later that evening.