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Radar Analysis of the Toronto Air Francce 358 Incident of 2 Aug 2005

Paul Joe

(Presented by / Présenté par paul joe )

Meteorological Service of Canada

Contact:paul.joe@ec.gc.ca

On 2 Aug 2005, Air France AF358 slid off run 24L at Toronto Pearson Airport. Remarkably, there were 309 survivors and no deaths even though the plane was completely destroyed by fire. AF358 landed long, about half way down the runway. It was not able to stop in time, even though there was sufficient runway to stop. Two important questions are: why did the plane land long, why was the plane not able to stop. Severe thunderstorms were in the area and Doppler radar showed a large downburst, gust front and heavy rain as potential factors in the incident. The first two factors are examined to determine if they were the cause of any problem, while the last factor may have contributed to poor runway conditions or visibility. A radar data analysis will be presented for the potential impact that weather may have had on the incident.