Pacific Western Airlines Flight 501
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 The aircraft on fire after being evacuated | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 22 March 1984 |
| Summary | Fire on the ground caused by uncontained engine failure on takeoff |
| Site | |
 | |
| Aircraft | |
.jpg) C-GQPW, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in 1983 | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-275 |
| Operator | Pacific Western Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | PW501 |
| ICAO flight No. | PWA501 |
| Registration | C-GQPW |
| Flight origin | Calgary International Airport |
| Destination | Edmonton International Airport |
| Occupants | 119 |
| Passengers | 114 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 27 (5 Seriously 22 Minor Injuries) |
| Survivors | 119 |
Pacific Western Airlines Flight 501 was a regularly scheduled flight from Calgary to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Boeing 737-200 caught fire during takeoff on March 22, 1984. All 119 passengers and crew members survived, but five people suffered serious injuries while 22 others suffered minor injuries.[1]
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a 3 year old Boeing 737-275 registered as C-GQPW. It had 7,447 flight hours with the manufacturing number 22265/775. The aircraft was also equipped with two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A engines.[1]
Accident
Flight 501 began taxing from the gate at Calgary International Airport at 7:35 AM and proceeded to take off on runway 34, carrying five crew members and 114 passengers. At 7:42 AM, a loud popping sound was heard 20 seconds into the takeoff run. The aircraft began to vibrate and veer to the left, and a fire broke out in the rear of the aircraft. The pilot, Stan Fleming, managed to abort the take-off.
An emergency evacuation was ordered as the fire spread throughout the aircraft. Five people were seriously injured and 22 suffered minor injuries, but no one was killed. The aircraft was destroyed by the fire.