04 August 2005 All passengers survive Toronto plane crash
All 309 passengers on the Air France Airbus A340 escaped death after their plane landed in Toronto and skidded off the runway, in an incident that Canada's Transport Minister Jean Lapierre described as "a miracle".
The plane had tried to land in bad weather at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, and on touching down it skidded across the tarmac, off the runway and into a ditch.
The plane burst into flames, as the passengers and crew escaped down the emergency escape chutes before running to safety.
Amazingly, there were no fatalities, and just 24 people suffered from minor injuries.
The airline said in a statement: "Air France is paying homage to the entire crew - to the captain, to the first officer and to the cabin crew. Their calm and professionalism have prevented a drama."
There were passengers on board from France, Canada, Britain, Italy, India and the United States.
The plane had 28,418 flight hours and joined the Air France fleet in September 1999.
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