 C-FTLU, the aircraft involved, after the fire | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 June 1983 |
| Summary | Emergency landing following in-flight fire |
| Site | Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Boone County, Kentucky, United States 39°02′56″N 84°40′04″W / 39.0489°N 84.6678°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 |
| Operator | Air Canada |
| IATA flight No. | AC797 |
| ICAO flight No. | ACA797 |
| Call sign | AIR CANADA 797 |
| Registration | C-FTLU |
| Flight origin | Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, United States |
| Stopover | Toronto Pearson International Airport, Ontario, Canada |
| Destination | Montréal-Dorval International Airport, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupants | 46 |
| Passengers | 41 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 23 |
| Injuries | 16 |
| Survivors | 23 |
Air Canada Flight 797 was an international passenger flight operating from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Montréal–Dorval International Airport, with an intermediate stop at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
On 2 June 1983, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 operating the service developed an in-flight fire in air around the rear lavatory that spread between the outer skin and the inner decor panels, filling the plane with toxic smoke. The spreading fire also burned through crucial electrical cables that disabled most of the instrumentation in the cockpit, forcing the plane to divert to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Ninety seconds after the plane landed and the doors were opened, the heat of the fire and fresh oxygen from the open exit doors created flashover conditions, and the plane's interior immediately became engulfed in flames, killing 23 passengers—half of the people on board—who were unable to evacuate the aircraft.[1]
The accident became a watershed for global aviation regulations, which were changed in the aftermath of the accident to make aircraft safer. New requirements to install smoke detectors in lavatories, strip lights marking paths to exit doors, and increased firefighting training and equipment for crew became standard across the industry, while regulations regarding evacuation were also updated. Since the accident, it has become mandatory for aircraft manufacturers to prove their aircraft could be evacuated within 90 seconds of the commencement of an evacuation, and passengers seated in overwing exits are now instructed to assist in an emergency.[citation needed]