Rain, poorly functioning windshield wipers and a lack of runway centerline lighting resulted in limited visual cues that led to an Airbus A320’s runway excursion at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport in 2017, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) says.
In its final report on the accident, released Wednesday, the TSB said that the poor visibility “reduced the cues available to recognize the aircraft’s drift in time to correct the trajectory or to execute a safe go-around.”
None of the 119 passengers and six crewmembers was injured in the Feb. 25, 2017, runway excursion, which caused minor damage to the A320’s left outboard wheel and left engine cowling, the report said. The excursion came at the end of a flight from Halifax, Nova Scotia, after the airplane began deviating to the right of the runway centerline, the report said, adding that the airplane traveled nearly 2,400 ft through the grass parallel to the runway, striking five runway edge light…
