Smoke and Chaos - The Terrifying Ordeal of Air Canada's Flight Inferno | Mayday: Air Disaster

In a fateful June 1983 flight, an Air Canada DC-9 transforms from a minor issue into a nightmare at 10,000 meters. Smoke engulfs the cabin as panic sets in. Passengers and crew battle thick toxic fumes, racing against time.

How did a routine Air Canada flight spiral into a race against deadly smoke, chaos, and an inferno mere seconds after touching down?

Mayday: Air Disaster - From Season 4 Episode 3 "Fire Fight": Air Canada 797

In June of 1983, a small mechanical problem at the back of an Air Canada DC-9 quickly turns into an all-out emergency 10 kilometers in the air. The pilot has no choice but to attempt an emergency landing at a nearby airport. The plane goes up in flames 90 seconds after it hits the runway. Twenty-three people die and the cause of the deadly fire can never be completely identified. However, a comprehensive series of changes are recommended as a result of the tragedy.

Mayday: Air Disaster is a dramatic non-fiction series that investigates high-profile air disasters to uncover how and why they happened. Mayday: Air Disaster follows survivors, family members of crash victims and transportation safety investigators as they piece together the evidence of the causes of major accidents. So climb into the cockpit for an experience you won’t soon forget.

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[MaydayAirDisaster]

How did a routine Air Canada flight spiral into a race against deadly smoke, chaos, and an inferno mere seconds after touching down?

[JonathanEzor]

I can't be the only watcher who waits to see if they interview survivors or their family members when they introduce the passengers.

[marigeobrien]

I know this is only a superficial aspect of the production, but I am always amazed how often the casting department manages to find actors who look VERY MUCH like the people they represent.

[dylonmartinez]

When air traffic control said “four miles until the airport, your clear to land, good luck, ” I felt that

[melissacompton]

It really breaks my heart when there is loss of life like this. However, I feel so much for the captain and crew that took criticism in such a situation. I think that anyone surviving this is a miracle. Thank you for sharing this story and all the work that goes into these.

[RobMancusoJr]

These reenactments are incredibly well done.

[illiniguy]

"All I know is I did the best I could." That's all anyone can ask.

[cail]

Pilots ARE people too. They're not robots. They have soooo much on their hands as is when landing or taking off. Add in an emergency like this, even more so.

[mariekatherine]

Not the captain’s fault! He did all he could reasonably be expected to do.

[bertvosburg]

What a burden the pilot has had to carry all these years. To second guess his decisions would be nothing but hurtful for everyone involved. He said with sincerity he did the best that he could so leave it at that. You can see the burden in the pilots eyes when recounting it. Having said that all I can say is how would anyone feel if they were driving anything and made it home but 23 people didn't?

[orionwesley]

The actress playing Laura Kiyama's cries after taking the head count on the ground always brings a tear to my eye. Just the one.

[Molarhorizon]

For those wondering, pilots/planes cannot deploy emergency oxygen here because it would add way more fuel for the fire, make it hotter and harder to breathe. Plane being half empty also means there would be half the masks at least just dispensing air even if the passengers use the other half (plane half full of passengers).
As for pilots they were far removed and separated, masks were guaranteed to be glued to their faces, they needed to land the plane safely so 2 masks for them were minimal compared to 100 passenger masks.

[chucklipsig]

Unfortunately, I did not discover Stan Rogers, until several years after this disaster. Forty years after it, I'm one scan away (I hope) from being a two-time cancer survivor. His "Mary Ellen Carter" is the song that gets me through, when I've felt down about it. I like to think that the story that he escaped the plane and went back to try to rescue people -- and the report that there was one person who got out only because he heard someone calling "Follow my voice!" and did so are true.

[ann]

I think the captain and the crew did everything humanly possible to save their passengers. The NTSB was wrong in criticizing them. God bless the captain, crew and those who did live.

[Zkhan]

This incident was the reason that smoking was banned in the lavatory and also was the requirement of exit row lighting 😢

[noobgamingyt]

am i the only person who think the pilots should be awarded for how brave they are and how tougth they are

[LEDPENNY]

I remember this! I was just finishing 5th grade when this came on the news. I always had assumed the fire had started in the lavatory from someone tossing a lit cigarette. Interesting 40 years later to learn of the real culprit,

[LisaGarrison-sd]

The crew did the best they could do. They got it landed and many survived with the crash’s that kills everyone so I don’t blame the crew

[natalyametzger-key]

You can see the pain that that captain and copilot feel even to this day, knowing that they did all that they could but they still couldn’t do enough to save everyone and I really do hope that as the years go on it becomes easier and easier for them to Deal with these feelings and thoughts. Because they are the true heroes, and they deserve to be able to rest easy, knowing that they did everything that they were able to do.

[craigford]

The Best Mayday videos are the one, s where the Captains and Crew of the planes are being interveiwed ! ❤