 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2024) |
 A Pacific Western Boeing 737-200 similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 11 February 1978 |
| Summary | Runway incursion caused by pilot error and ATC error, thrust reverser deployment during go-around |
| Site | Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International Airport, Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada 49°36′41″N 115°46′56″W / 49.6114°N 115.78225°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-275 |
| Operator | Pacific Western Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | PW314 |
| ICAO flight No. | PWA314 |
| Call sign | PACIFIC WESTERN 314 |
| Registration | C-FPWC |
| Flight origin | Fort McMurray International Airport |
| 1st stopover | Edmonton International Airport |
| 2nd stopover | Calgary International Airport |
| Last stopover | Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International Airport |
| Destination | Castlegar Airport |
| Occupants | 49 |
| Passengers | 44 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 43 (42 initially) |
| Injuries | At least 5 |
| Survivors | 6 (7 initially) |
On 11 February 1978, Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314, a Boeing 737-200, crashed at Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International Airport, near Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada, killing 43 of the 49 people on board.[1]
The scheduled flight from Fort McMurray International Airport to Castlegar Airport via Edmonton, Alberta, Calgary, Alberta and Cranbrook, British Columbia crashed after its thrust reversers did not fully stow following an aborted landing to avoid a snowplow on the runway. Calgary air traffic control was in major error in its calculation of the flight's arrival time at Cranbrook, and the flight crew did not report while passing a beacon on final approach.[2][3]
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ATC transcript Pacific Western Flight 314 – 11 Feb 1978". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ "February 11, 1978 : Cranbrook, BC, Canada : Pacific Western Airlines, Flight 314 : Boeing B-737-275 [sic] : C-FPWC". www.planecrashinfo.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2021.