Pacific Western Airlines Flight 501

Pacific Western Airlines Flight 501
The aircraft involved in the accident.
Accident
Date March 22, 1984
Summary Fire, Uncontained engine failure
Site Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Aircraft
Aircraft type Boeing 737-275
Operator Pacific Western Airlines
Registration C-GQPW[1]
Passengers 114
Crew 5
Injuries 27 (5 serious, 22 minor)
Survivors 119 (all)

Pacific Western Airlines Flight 501 was a regularly scheduled flight from Calgary to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The aircraft caught fire during takeoff on March 22, 1984. All 119 passengers and crew members survived, but five people suffered serious injuries while 22 others suffered minor injuries.

Accident description

The Boeing 737, registered C-GQPW, taxied from the gate at Calgary International Airport at 7:35 AM and proceeded to take off on runway 34, carrying five crew members and 114 passengers. At 7:42 AM, a loud popping sound was heard 20 seconds into the takeoff run. The aircraft began to vibrate and veer to the left, and a fire broke out in the rear of the aircraft. The pilot, Stan Fleming, managed to abort the take-off.

An emergency evacuation was ordered as the fire spread throughout the aircraft. Five people were seriously injured and 22 suffered minor injuries, but no-one was killed. The aircraft was destroyed by the fire.

The Canadian Aviation Safety Board (CASB) determined that an uncontained failure of the left engine thirteenth stage compressor disc had occurred. Debris from the engine punctured a fuel cell, resulting in the fire. The disc failure was the result of fatigue cracking The fire was attributed to a faulty compressor disc that blew apart, rupturing the fuel tanks. This incident was similar to the cause of the British Airtours Flight 28M disaster that claimed 55 lives in 1985.

Coordinates: 51°07′21″N 114°00′47″W / 51.1225°N 114.0130°W / 51.1225; -114.0130

  1. ↑ "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register (C-GQPW)". Transport Canada.
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