An Air Canada plane was forced to return to the airport after one of its wheels fell off seconds after takeoff. A passenger was recording the sparking wheel as the aircraft cruised down the runway. As soon as the tire was no longer touching the ground, it popped off and landed on the runway.
The pilot turned the plane around and had to circle around Montreal-Trudeau International Airport to burn fuel before he could attempt to land. There were 49 passengers and three crew members on the flight from Montreal to Bagotville, Canada. The Dash 8-300, operated by Jazz Aviation, landed safely and nobody was injured. The plane has six tires, and the pilots are trained on how to land if the tires fall off during the flight.
"Our experienced pilots kept complete control of the aircraft. Our pilots are trained to react to such situations and reacted conforming to proper procedure," Jazz Aviation spokesperson Manon Stuart said.
Authorities are investigating the incident and are trying to determine why the wheel was sparking and how it fell off.