They flew 120 km without engines because they ran out of fuel. Children were playing on the runway

On July 23, 1983, exactly 40 years ago, an Air Canada Boeing 767-200 was on a regular flight from Montreal to Edmonton in southwestern Canada. The route was 3 thousand. km and took place with a stopover in Ottawa. The flight from Montreal to the capital of the country went without any problems. There, the machine was refueled and set off for Edmonton. The pilots (Captain Robert “Bob” Pearson and First Officer Maurice Quintal) did not know at the time that the Ottawa airport staff had made a huge mistake. Instead of the required 22,300 kg of fuel, she poured 22,300 pounds into the tanks, less than half the amount needed (10,115 kg).

Half way there ran out of fuel. Soon after, the engines shut down

The first problems with the plane appeared over the town of Red Lake (Ontario) about halfway. Initially, the aircraft’s systems detected a problem with the fuel pump, which in itself is not yet dangerous. The fuel is contained in tanks in the wings and can flow by gravity to the engines below. After a while, however, there was a problem with the pump of the second engine, so the captain decided to land at the airport in Winnipeg, less than 200 km away, and began descent. However, during the descent from the cruising altitude (12.5 km), the first engine turned off.

It was so strange that the plane’s computer showed a large fuel supply, which should be enough to reach the destination airport, let alone Winnipeg. However, the machine used a system that calculated the amount of fuel based on the data entered before the start (in kilograms), and not the actual (twice as much) amount that actually went to the tanks. Captain Pearson, trusting the flight instruments, informed traffic controllers of the problem and announced that he would approach the landing with only one operational engine.

However, at an altitude of 10.7 km above the ground, the second engine went out, which meant a very serious emergency situation. The procedures at that time did not assume the loss of both engines, therefore neither the captain nor the first pilot were trained in such a situation. One of the pilots quickly flipped through the aircraft’s manual, but found no mention of a complete loss of thrust. To make matters worse, the Boeing 767-200 was a brand new machine at the time. The first copies flew into the air less than a year earlier. Not only were the pilots unfamiliar with the machine, but also a number of novelties were used in it. The biggest was the electronic control of the machine’s on-board instruments, which did not work without the electricity normally generated by the engines. In the event of a power loss, the Boeing 767 automatically deploys an air turbine that uses airflow to power the hydraulic pumps and generate electricity. Fortunately, after a few seconds, the pilots managed to regain control of the machine.

It became clear that they would not make it to the airport. They had to land at a disused base

By coincidence, the captain of the machine was also an experienced glider pilot and knew perfectly well the techniques that are used in gliding, but due to huge design differences, they are not used in cruise aircraft. However, he calculated that the optimal speed at which the Boeing 767 will cover the greatest distance by gliding is about 400 km/h. The first officer in turn estimated the plane’s likely range based on the height read off one of the mechanical gauges. He also asked air traffic controllers in Winnipeg for the distance to the airport, which was read off the radar. This made it possible to perform the first calculations.

It was also observed that after covering the first 17 km with a gliding flight, the plane lost 1.5 km of height, which allowed to determine the so-called slip coefficient of the plane (of course it was many times smaller than that of gliders). It became clear that the pilots had little chance of reaching Winnipeg. By another lucky coincidence, however, the first officer once served in the Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and saw about the existence of a now-defunct air force base near the town of Gimli. The former RCAF Station Gimli is located more than 50 miles north of Winnipeg, and landing there could have shortened the journey by several dozen miles. The pilots decided to take the risk of landing at the closed airport in Gimli. What Maurice Quintal did not know, however, was that part of the complex’s runway had already been converted to a drag track and the rest was used by the local flying club. What’s more, that day (and it was Saturday) there were races on the runway.

The captain made a maneuver from the gliders. Then they experienced moments of terror

Another problem soon arose. The pilots had to lower the plane’s altitude to land at Gimli without increasing airspeed. Normally, flaps are used in this situation, but the low pressure in the hydraulic system did not allow them to be extended in such a large aircraft as the Boeing 767. At the same time, the aircraft was too low to complete a full circle around the airport. Then Robert Pearson’s above-average skills came in handy again. Crossing the aileron deflection, the captain introduced the plane into the so-called slip, i.e. set the fuselage of the aircraft at a certain angle in relation to the direction of flight. This maneuver allows you to reduce lift a little (allowing you to descend faster) and increase air resistance (allowing you to reduce your speed). It is often used in gliding, but has never been used in a large cruising aircraft before.

Shortly before landing, another problem was noticed. The aircraft could not extend the landing gear due to inoperative hydraulic systems. All you could do was release them by gravity and hope the wheels locked in place. The maneuver was successfully performed in the case of the two rear legs of the landing gear, but the front – lighter – was not blocked. Attempts to solve this problem then occupied the first officer’s full attention. The captain, on the other hand, did his best to maintain the slide maneuver until the last moment, descending at an optimal rate.

It was only seconds before landing that the pilots noticed the crowd of onlookers gathered around the beginning of the runway. At that point, all they could count on was that the bystanders would be able to get away in time. After the wheels touch the runway at a speed of approx. 300 km/h. the pilots applied emergency braking, which caused the nose landing gear to fold down and hit the ground with the nose. At the moment of touchdown, they also saw two boys playing on bicycles a few hundred meters away. The captain then applied the brakes so hard that some of the tires exploded. The huge friction of the plane’s nose on the concrete and the metal railing attached further down the road significantly shortened the landing distance of the machine and probably saved the young cyclists.

After landing, a small fire broke out in the nose section of the aircraft. There were no emergency services at the scene, but the fire was quickly put out by racing enthusiasts who rushed to help the survivors. All passengers (61 people) and crew members (8 people) survived the accident. No bystanders were killed either. Only 10 people were slightly injured during the evacuation from the plane. The plane stayed in the air with the engines turned off for 17 minutes and thus covered 120 km.

Demoted captain and suspended first officer. Then they got orders

Captain Pearson and First Officer Quintal were hailed as heroes by the media, and the plane was named the Gimli Glider in honor of the event. However, that didn’t stop the airline from demoting Captain Pearson and suspending First Officer Quintal during an internal investigation. Three ground staff who were involved in arranging the ill-fated flight were also suspended. Eventually, the pilots returned to their former positions, and two years after the accident they were honored by the International Aviation Federation with diplomas for outstanding piloting skills. Both remained with Air Canada for many years, and Quintala was promoted to captain in 1989.

The plane, which was only four months old at the time of the accident, was initially repaired at Gimli and flown to nearby Winnipeg, where Air Canada has a base two days after the accident, for further repairs. It was eventually returned to service and remained with the Air Canada fleet until 2008. On its last voyage, the Gimli Glider flew to California, and the flight was symbolically overseen by Pearson, Quintal and three of the six stewards who landed Gimli in 1983. The plane ended its life in the Mojave Desert at Mojave Air and Space Port, where it still stands today (but not in its entirety).

The subsequent investigation showed that the immediate cause of the accident was not only a failure to convert the correct amount of fuel from imperial to metric units, but also a malfunctioning FQIS (Fuel Quantity Indicating System), which should have warned the crew in advance of low fuel levels. Pearson and Quintal showed great skill as well. During the investigation, several other crews tried to recreate their incredible landing in simulators in Vancouver, but all crashed their planes.