PILOTS are BLIND. The windshield is shattered after bird strike at Toronto Airport. Real ATC

[@YouCanSeeATC]

Update: Based on the report of Canada's TSB at least one of the geese impacted the windshield and causing minor injuries to the pilot due to the shattered glass.

[@slededcroz]

I was one of the fire crew on this call. Windshield was completely shattered and parts of the bird were completely through the windscreen and in the cockpit. Glad the pilots got her down safely.

[@YouCanSeeATC]

Thank you for the comment 🙂

[@juliogonzo2718]

@slededcroz wow must have been a pretty stout bird like a cobra chicken on its way to Florida

[@slededcroz]

@@juliogonzo2718 yessir…..didn’t make it too far though. Haha

[@77hoolie]

Ummmmm - not sure you should be publicly commenting on calls you are directly involved in. Most departments have policies regarding this.

[@kenlowe-ca]

Professionalism on display. No panic. Calmness from both sides, able to assess the situation, and then execute the required actions.

[@peronik349]

What surprises me is that all these professionals (in flight or on the ground) deal with rather important issues with the same tone that you can hear when someone orders a beer. professional, precise, calm, but never jaded

[@aengberg1]

When I order a beer I start hyperventilating, become very unprofessional and overexcited. But like them, never jaded.

[@Relkond]

Surprisingly, people who are panicked and/or screaming tend to make dumb decisions. You want the impression of calm even if you are not entirely calm... panic can be contagious, last thing you want is the other guy getting excited and making dumb decisions.

[@rtlgrmpf]

It's like comparing Apollo 13 the movie with Apollo 13 the transcript. The movie was extraordinarily good but still the Hollywood embellishments are hard to ignore. The transcript is boring as hell. At some point everybody knows these 3 guys are doomed. These 3 guys know it too. But the radio chatter just continues. No blaming. Everybody is just calm and professional.

[@bronze5420]

Aircraft landing with malfunctions is pretty common at YYZ. A birdstrike to this extent is rare, but this sort of procedure prioritizing an aircraft and staging emergency response vehicles sometimes happened multiple times in a day.

[@ajs11201]

@@bronze5420 Yeah, I can almost hear the thought bubble from the controller who's thinking, "Oh, bother," and then continues on as if it's nothing more than the most minor of inconveniences.

[@josephc3276]

Obviously a very well trained crew. Whether the captain or first officer on comms with ATC , voice is calm, clear and articulate. This is the type of professionals that we all hope is flying us to our next destination. Hats off for a job well done 👏.

[@marinazmeu7868]

I am a passenger from that flight, and the crew was really amazing! Not only were they incredible at handling a malfunctioning plane, but they also made us believe that everything would be okay. The captain spoke to us calmly, and until we landed, we didn’t even know he was injured or how serious the situation was.

[@fomfom9779]

Sometimes, watching these videos can feel like a video game. A bit disconnected from reality. Then when they get to souls onboard, the reality of these situations come into clear focus. Great work by all.

[@YouCanSeeATC]

👍👍👍

[@malcolmwhite6588]

The calm demeanour of the pilots always gets me - even in serious situations. They never forget their ABCs or ANC’s should I say- aviate navigate communicate

[@gregheyheyhey]

I haven't heard a good "Check that" from Canadian ATC in a while.

[@PInk77W1]

Check all that

[@joshuacassim1306]

1:22

[@ghostrider-be9ek]

canadian ATC, putting the PRO back in PROfessional

[@dustinandrews3223]

Love listening to professionals.

[@kenlowe-ca]

5:02 The pilot when he changed frequency "... G'day to you..." So calm.

[@jimh4375]

Professionaly done.

[@tommyrjensen]

Just to be clear: when a Canadian says "jeeze" it is not at all blasphemous, as all it means is that, once again, a mishap was caused by geese.

[@brmam1385]

🤣

[@pgbrandon]

Not in aviation, but I couldn't imagine flying a plane not being able to see out the windshield. Well done!

[@JDrapic]

You might be interested in the Mentour Pilot video on British Airways 009. They had their windshields sand-blasted by volcanic ash and could hardly see to land.

[@TrevorWofford]

Actually I think it’s very easy. Like flying at night

[@dougb8045]

Well it’s not unlike flying in IFR weather and having to rely on instruments.

[@slowsteve3497]

Lindbergh had no front windshield in the spirit of St. Louis. Just side windows.

[@kenhurley4441]

@@slowsteve3497 Was that a "side note"? 🤪

[@malahammer]

Rather the windows than the engines!

[@KimtheElder]

How clearly they all spoke. Just another day on the job. Meanwhile, I'm sweating bullets ;)

[@andrebello4191]

They got nerves of steel. They can stay calm and think through the situation. That's what makes them pilots.

[@shad2930-t8p]

I admit I’m a white knuckle flyer. The pilot, even when injured was cool as ice and ATC were calm. Listening to this helps me feel calmer about flying.

[@killman369547]

Mentour Pilot is probably the channel for you then. He's a 737 captain and most of his videos are about explaining exactly why specific aviation accidents happened and what the industry learned to prevent the same accidents happening again from a real pilot's perspective. Another good one i recommend is StigAviation. He's an aircraft maintenance technician of 20+ years working at LAX and he shows you the inner workings of an aircraft that the public don't usually get to see and explains what they all do, shows you how they get serviced between flights etc.

[@fighterbomberMiG27]

Great crew and ATC team work on display. Nice created video. You earned sub from me

[@YouCanSeeATC]

👍

[@YouCanSeeATC]

Thank you 🙂

[@Klink330]

They did better than well - and they did it with great Flair…

[@allenl9214]

Budget airlines probably didn't have windshield maintained and checked properly that even a bird could shatter it

[@FNLNFNLN]

@@allenl9214 Do you have any idea how big Canada geese are? These are the birds that brought down US Airways 1549 - the one that went down in the Hudson.

[@allenl9214]

@FNLNFNLN probably a dozen of them flying together got sucked into the engine. Engines are meant to suck in air and liquids only

[@FNLNFNLN]

@@allenl9214 Estimates are "at least 2" per engine, not a dozen per, and no, they aren't only designed to handle air and water, engine certification requires they be able to handle bird strikes. Canada geese are just way heavier than what regulations require them to survive - while regulations for lighter birds require the engine be able to maintain a certain level of thrust after the impact, with Canada geese, the requirement is simply that the engine can be shut down safely.

[@kenlowe-ca]

​@@allenl9214*each* adult goose averages 10lbs, with adults ranging from 6lbs to 14lbs. Watch "Miracle on the Hudson" for what can happen to engines that are hit by Canada Geese collide.

[@robertrowden8441]

love this real stuff!

[@rreiter]

Lots and lots of geese migrating south this time of year.

[@Tsnor150]

Pilots are at 100% peak adrenalin. Nice take-off, just starting to relax then a high speed visual blur COMING RIGHT AT YOUR FACE and WAMMMO huge BANG noise with a layer of windscreen going spiderweb. At least no alarms. ATC usually brilliant. Departure controller wasn't on his A game today. Pilot was. So were arrival and tower ATC.

[@charlesgee3003]

So damn polite and clear... love it.

[@kenlowe-ca]

@@charlesgee3003 YYZ... 🇨🇦... Politeness spills over and is contagious! 🙃

[@DaenineMusic]

Anyone know why pearson is running 33 and 6 in perpendicular? I don't think I've ever seen them do that, always 5 and 6 paired together

[@Aleksandar6ix]

I saw the picture of this at the gate. The capt window got hit on the top seam of the windshield left of center and the entire thing went opaque.

[@MaxxJagX]

This is why being a pilot is hard. Something I could never do (I forget WAY too much, also old now so...) Staying calm under some insane pressure, and remembering all the memory items, on top of dealing with checklists and such. I honestly don't think we'll ever see a 1 pilot cockpit regardless of all the automation or "AI". Maybe flying taxis at some point could be automated, but I just don't see airliners ever getting to that point. And I work in tech.

[@lukejakubowsky]

I was on this flight. We heard a boom and i honestly figured it was the luggage below us. 5 minutes later the pilot alerted us it was a bird strike, and you can sense a bit of panic. We get off the plane and see the windshield completely shattered. Honestly scary 30 minutes of just uncertainty and not sure how long wed have to wait for another plane. The next flight was 3 hours later

[@midnightrambler7716]

I would’ve thought a fuel dump over Lake Ontario might have been necessary as it would have a very heavy and abnormal landing weight. But none was mentioned.

[@scottmccambley764]

Only going to Winterpeg

[@tomstravels520]

737 can't fuel dump

[@midnightrambler7716]

@@tomstravels520Interesting…thanks, I was not aware of that.

[@stephenp448]

​@@midnightrambler7716only about 12,000 lbs of fuel on board - that's not exactly a heavy load for a 737

[@midnightrambler7716]

@@stephenp448 Yeah but they’d want minimal fuel to mitigate fire if the worst were to happen. I’m guessing they were comfortable enough with IFR to not do the alternative and fly around in circles to burn off the fuel which is often done.

[@MarkoCloud]

A plane can not ascend to an altitude above 10000 ft if it is not pressurized as there is not enough oxygen at that altitude. So the real emergency here is not being pressurized. Granted, it is going to be difficult to fly without being able to see outside, but that's just like flying in low visibility conditions. Pilots are trained to handle that, and these pilots handle it commendably. Evaluate, communicate, aviate at it's best.

[@leohorstmeier]

The wind blasting into the faces of the pilots could also be an issue.

[@davesaunders7080]

@@leohorstmeier The windshield was cracked but intact, like a car front window does when hit.

[@Jushwa]

@@davesaunders7080are you sure about that? How did the pilot get injured if the windshield was “intact”

[@Jushwa]

@@darrylday30 yeah it seems like the initial reports of the pilot being injured were incorrect, he was flying again the next day. Appreciate your added insight.👍

[@braincraven]

This is why ATP have good ILS skills. I can see the flying pilot on the instruments and the non-flying pilot looking out the window coaching the plane down.

[@lw216316]

if they could not see to taxi then how could they see to land?....was it an automated landing?

[@YouCanSeeATC]

Instrument landing.

[@frednewman2162]

Is PAN PAN an acronym for something, and why did they stop using the term Mayday?

[@YouCanSeeATC]

Pan pan goes before Mayday, like priority without extra urgency.

[@stephenp448]

PAN PAN is for an urgent situation but not life threatening.

[@DaenineMusic]

Possible Assistance Needed

[@rodolfoayalajr.8589]

Amen 🙏.

[@ronaldckrausejr7762]

Commercial passenger jet aviation is great. Although they were not able to maintain pressure, possibly due to bird strike on windshield/windscreen… Passenger jets can take a full speed income with a fairly large bird )or set of birds) to that windshield, and it essentially remains completely intact. Stronger than the windshield of an armored car.

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

I thought the airport fire and rescue services used 121.6 as standard

[@254lele]

why do they ask if they have hazardous material on board?

[@Steevo-qw4sp]

So responding ARF crews know what they might encounter and in what hold it is located

[@254lele]

@Steevo-qw4sp yes, but what kind of hazardous material can flight on a commercial plane? 🤔🤔🤔

[@Steevo-qw4sp]

@@254lele hazmat while not common is not unknown on commercial flights. Could be vaccines, medical devices with batteries, even certain chemical compounds for further manufacturing use

[@alalal8157]

Did the pilots even put the oxygen mask on?? So they could see and for eye protection?

[@Themheals]

There are three windshields. This not a big deal

[@RaineStudio]

How are a shattered forward windshield and no pressurization not an emergency?

[@brianmcdonald6519]

They use instruments for landing, and pressurization is only an emergency above 10,000 feet. They literally do not have to see where they are going. Think landing in fog.

[@Xanthopteryx]

@@brianmcdonald6519 Normally even single engine on a dual engine aircraft is not an emergency.

[@dougaltolan3017]

The plane was perfectly functional for autopilot operation. They were not short of fuel.

[@imeverywhere9633]

they're just informing them as a consequence of the bird strike they're will no pressurization hence they can't go to 10,000 feet.

[@KepperX3]

Not being able to see should not be concerning in my opinion what’s the point of getting your instrument rating, getting thousands of hours in the air and flying some of the largest aircraft available if being able to see out the windshield is important. It isn’t necessary technically speaking with glass cockpits

[@DavidIdeaMachine]

Brother because you have to land the aircraft eventually

[@KepperX3]

@@DavidIdeaMachine you can land an aircraft without being able to see, guy, it’s called an instrument landing, normally you would look out the windshield as soon as you can see the ground but it is not necessary to landing the aircraft assuming you have a glass cockpit. The whole point of getting you Instrument Rating is so you can fly and land WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE. For example a garmin G1000 or garmin GX3 will literally show generalized terrain and even show the runway and taxiways in front of you. This is common knowledge for anyone who’s ever actually flown an airplane.

[@DavidIdeaMachine]

@@KepperX3 cool man I do it every day for a living. Autoland systems are way beyond what an IFR rating offers you.

[@frstrspndr1478]

Not knowing the extent of the damage, pilot injuries, and erring on the side of caution for the sake of all souls on board are all important reasons to perform an emergency landing. But yeah, this wasn't a bigger incident because they could land ifr

[@KepperX3]

@@DavidIdeaMachine buddy, if you do it every day for a living you should def be able to land that way if you literally have no other option. OBVIOUSLY no one would land that way if they can see. But if your windshield is shattered then what choice do you have but to land with ur instruments, which is very doable if not preferable. I do it every day too man. Your occupation does not make you instantly correct, so don’t throw it around like it suddenly gives you extra points.

[@TheUnforgiven69]

As a retired pilot who had a home base at YWG, around this time of year Canada Geese are flying south for the winter and Winnipeg is smack in the middle of their annual migration path. I've had 8 strikes and they were all bad. Geese are a big bird and they fly in groups of 50 or so. Its common to have multiple strikes in one single incident. Never had a windshield shatter tho...good job to the pilots here.

[@juliogonzo2718]

Sounded like a south African and and Australian or New Zealand flight crew

[@g-iggy5350]

South African captain spoke to him many times over the radio

[@tfofurn]

Why would 6R shut down the airport? Looks like they have three parallels in that direction.

[@yooturboo]

Runway on the far left 05/23 was closed for construction

[@markdowling7929]

Weird that ATC said “no” to 6R for them but they had a delayed clearance to land because of preceding traffic landing on… 6R

[@yooturboo]

@@markdowling7929 because tower knew they’d be sitting on the runway after landing they didn’t want them sitting on 1 of the 2 active runways

[@Xanthopteryx]

@@yooturboo And pilot can always say "unable" to such of a request, and then they would have had 6R. Nothing strange with that.

[@dc0911]

@@Xanthopteryx that’s bush league attitude right there. ATC asked if they could take 33R not demanded. Believe me if they were on fire they would have landed on 06R. They assessed the situation and took excellent decisions regardless of what all you couch pilots say here. They landed safely, no one got injured or killed and they minimized disruptions at the airport!

[@DerekWalsh-l4i]

But why sit on the runway for 25 minutes before, presumably, getting a tow to the gate? There was nothing for anyone to do outside of the aircraft. Why not just attach a tug and clear the runway asap?

[@littleviking488]

All of the gates are likely full with scheduled traffic.

[@dc0911]

That runway was not being used for regular flow of traffic so he wasn’t in anyone’s way. They stopped on the runway and set the parking brake. They had the emergency trucks come out and made sure there wasn’t any other issues that might need an evacuation, then the tug hooked on and towed them in. They needed a tug because the captain’s window is the one that shattered and the captain’s side is where the tiller is installed on the 737, so even though both pilots were captains on this particular flight, the aircraft could not be taxied from the right seat.

[@takhayc]

Love the calm demeanor of the pilot, and his enunciation. I would hire him to fly my personal jet without a second thought, if I am Jeff Bezos.

[@andrebello4191]

If you were Jeff Bezos you would also pay them crap and treat them like crap. But ya good choice for your personal pilot.

[@wendigo53]

Geese 1, Flair Airlines 1.

[@svenf1]

Including a photo of the damage might have made sense, no..?

[@YouCanSeeATC]

This video was posted before the incident report with the photo. I had only audio.

[@marinazmeu7868]

I have photo if you need, I am a passenger from that plane

[@rislingpodiumperformance]

YYZ ATC are incredible professionals. Pilots did an incredible job here especially since the bird was IN the cockpit after

[@AV8R_1]

Cat 3 ILS?

[@Xanthopteryx]

YES! PERFECT! Using Pan-Pan, also using Pan-Pan in almost all transmissions, and NOT CLEARING TO LAND IF IT IS NOT CLEAR! (Hey, USA, now listen to this and STOP issuing clearance to land when IT IS NOT CLEAR! And STOP using "declaring emergency" - Use Pan-Pan and Mayday, as is stated in your own rules!)

[@DigiSlug]

We can't be arsed to lookup the rules in our own rulebook we created so we're just gonna wing it.

[@tightmf]

You don’t have to say Mayday just we declare emergency.

[@gregheyheyhey]

It's not a requirement in the US. It's advised in AIM Section 6-3-1 ("Distress and Urgency Conditions") (emphasis *added*): The initial communication, and if considered necessary, any subsequent transmissions by an aircraft in distress ***should*** begin with the signal MAYDAY, preferably repeated three times. The signal PAN-PAN ***should*** be used in the same manner for an urgency condition. If it were required, the AIM would say "shall" or "must."

[@straightpipediesel]

Emphasis on this mayday/pan whatever is a red herring. Forget it. The first thing to do is immediately squawk 7700. It sounds an alarm on the controller's workstation and supervisor's desk. The controller will call out and ask what the problem is. It avoids problems with doubling and trying to get a word in.

[@LtColDaddy71]

@@straightpipedieselit’s actually the 3rd thing, but point well taken.

[@fishyfish7042]

these planes are still too fragile imo, in the 70s my dad was flying with 100+ passengers and had the same thing happen, he was able to land with pcs of glass in his eye bleeding from many places and was hailed a hero, but this is 2024 and this should not happen.

[@annali1102]

Hmm it’s my airport

[@Brahmlullies]

5:11 Continue approach, wtf? We’re PAN-PAN… imagine having to go around because the intersecting landing traffic had an issue.

[@7andre]

Yeah, Tower should not have issued any clearances in front of Flair.

[@LjL-Videos]

If that was a concern for them though, they could have declared MAYDAY... as PANPAN is "just" priority handling.

[@Coach_Berrill]

Wrong. It's an international airport. The spacing is all timed out. Unless it's a mayday and someone is on fire and you have no idea what they need, you continue operating the airport. In this case, the plane is flying fine. Keep operating the airport on the crossing runways. Overshoot crossing traffic when Pan is inbound if required. But like I said, it's all spaced and timed out. The only reason they say continue approach is because it's illegal to clear them to land at that point, even though there's more than enough room.

[@shannonophelan3440]

My thought exactly! Damn right I'm cleared for landing, I called a PAN-PAN

[@rreiter]

See Transport Canada RIC-21 and TP14070-E (edit: and TC-AIM), by definition PAN PAN is an urgency signal and "indicates a safety problem that does not require immediate assistance". It is not a distress signal.

[@dxkaiyuan4177]

Once landed, they couldn't open the windows and peer out to taxi? Or is that not an option on 737

[@dougaltolan3017]

And steering with your foot on the wheel... Yeah, nahh, not in a plane at a busy airport. Just wait for a tug.

[@Wilem35]

Just not a safe thing to do.

[@Wilem35]

@@dougaltolan3017 you steer with your feet on the pedals.

[@dougaltolan3017]

@@Wilem35 can't reach the pedals while hanging half out the window.

[@Wilem35]

@@dougaltolan3017 You don't steer a plane with a wheel silly.

[@clydedonaldson7369]

This is where your instrument ratings for arrivals are so important. Flying on instruments only is a walk in the park under normal conditions, however when you've just been whacked by a Canada Goose, your powers of attention become of paramount importance.

[@Mark-y8f1y]

Sounds like a South African on the flight deck

[@adlerweb]

5:45 where is right and left again? ;)

[@mikefuquay9903]

I am a little perplexed why the tower cleared another guy for 6R, when he had an emergency coming in for 33R. He knew full well that he couldn’t clear the emergency until the other guy was off 6R. What if he hadn’t gotten off though? Would he have instructed the emergency to go around? I think the priorities were a little off here.

[@melissaash4528]

Urgency, not emergency. They were flying fine, plenty of fuel, and going around wouldn't have been a big deal.

[@bronze5420]

The 6R lander only needed to roll through the approach for 33R before Flair could be given their landing clearance. There was plenty of space between them. All the exits for 06R are past the 33R approach so the only way the 6R lander could have been an issue is if they crashed upon landing. No point in pulling them in this case.

[@JamaicaWhiteMan]

Probably a goose. The place is infested with them.

[@MattyEngland]

CluckSlammer

[@kenlowe-ca]

Lake Ontario ditch scenario: "This is your captain, if you look to the left and up a bit you will see the observation deck of the CN Tower as we have a nice low glide past it." (FYI the observation deck is at 1500 feet) The lake isn't usually as calm and forgiving as The Hudson, so would need Super Sully mode enabled.

[@wulfboi8808]

If this had to be summed up in 1 word, BRAVO. The pilot sounds like it's just another day at the office. They shouldn't ask how many souls are on board, they should ask how many people. Sociopaths don't have souls and there could be one or more on board. Let's hope it's not the pilot. 😂

[@Noneya-bw5gm]

We're about to DIE! Well, can you do another runway so the airport isn't shut down?

[@chrisbuller9938]

professionalism in the cockpit, yes, not so much from atc. assigning or pressuring use of any specific runway rather than granting the pilots preference in situations like this is.... lets just be polite and say classic NavCan. Perhaps a suggestion for easiest (x-winds) or longest might be helpful, but most convenient for others? And as pointed out in several prior comments, there are three E/W runways at Pearson, so claiming a return on 6R would shut the airport down is @$&#("@#. Why? Because a controller would miss a coffee break? Good grief.

[@kenlowe-ca]

@@chrisbuller9938 The pilots attention needs to be on Aviate - Navigate - Communicate, in that order. The ATC was providing what they thought was the best option for runway, so the pilot didn't have to think about the options. If the pilot disagreed, or then felt it wasn't possible, then alternatives could be proposed.

[@billb7876]

Remind me again "how many pilots onboard"? surely if one has a busted windshield get the other pilot to land he can see out? I imagine the stopping on the runway was only because the bloke who flew did not have a clear enough view to taxy

[@Michigan_Adventures]

Some airlines or even airplanes only allow for taxiing from the captain side.

[@YouCanSeeATC]

There was said: "Our windshields are shattered". Probably there were a couple of birds.

[@MattyEngland]

Double Slammer

[@kngalex]

Dumb comment

[@swithunis]

Most aircraft only have “tiller” on the captain side. Tiller - to steer the airplane while taxiing. This usually takes the form of a small steering wheel or lever in the cockpit. As speed slows, rudder authority decreases to the point where it can’t turn the airplane :)

[@shuzfetish]

Damn Canadian Geese ...