Air Canada jet almost caused one of worst aviation crashes in history in near miss with four passenger planes

Crash: Air Canada pilots almost caused the worst aviation disasters in history
Jessica Morgan3 August 2017

A Canadian plane almost caused one of the worst aviation disasters in history after pilots almost crashed into four planes parked near the runway.

Pilots on board Air Canada Flight 759 were attempting to land the aircraft in San Francisco on July 7 but mistook the airport's runway with the taxiway, which are paths connecting the runway with terminals.

The jet swooped down to just 59 feet above ground, but pilots managed to power up the engine to abort the landing, narrowly avoiding a disaster.

A report from the National Transportation Safety Board said: "In post-incident interviews, both incident pilots stated that , during their first approach, they believed the lighted runway on their left was 28L and that they were lined up for 28R."

The photos show four jets parked on the runway and in the second, Air Canada 759 can be seen approaching San Francisco International Airport.

Air Canada pilots almost landed on a runway where four jets were parked ready for take off
National Transportation Safety Board

The pilots told investigators that they "did not recall seeing aircraft on the taxiway but that something did not look right to them," the NTSB said.

NTSB investigators said they have not determined a probable cause for the incident that came within a few feet of becoming one of the worst diasters in aviation history.

Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Air Canada, declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

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