Fuel Crisis at 39,000 Feet The Unforgettable Tale of Air Transat Flight 236

Fuel Crisis at 39,000 Feet The Unforgettable Tale of Air Transat Flight 236
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On the night of August 24, 2001, Air Transat Flight 236 was en route from Toronto to Lisbon, cruising at an altitude of 39,000 feet. As it reached the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, both engines suddenly failed because the aircraft had run out of fuel, causing it to begin descending. With water everywhere and the nearest airport 120 km away, reaching safety seemed impossible, pointing to a fatal outcome.

On the evening of August 23, 2001, Canadian airline Air Transat Flight 236 was preparing to depart from Toronto Airport for Lisbon, Portugal. Due to the non-stop nature of the 7-hour flight, the aircraft underwent regular service and maintenance checks, receiving 48 metric tons of fuel. This was an Airbus A330, considered the most advanced and safest aircraft of its time. The 48-year-old Captain Robert Piché had 16,800 flight hours of experience, while First Officer Dirk de Jager had flown 4,800 hours, with both having prior experience flying the A330.

Shortly after, 293 passengers and 13 crew members boarded the flight, and at around 9:00 PM, the aircraft successfully took off from Toronto Airport. The pilots then gradually turned the aircraft toward the Atlantic Ocean to head for Lisbon. Within minutes, the plane reached its cruising altitude of 39,000 feet. During such long flights, pilots usually have minimal tasks as the autopilot system handles most operations. They primarily monitor the situation and periodically update the control tower on their location.

After four hours of flight, everything was normal, and most passengers were asleep. As the aircraft reached the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Captain Piché noticed abnormal readings on engine number two's control panel, signaling trouble. At around 1:00 AM, the pilot observed that the oil pressure in the right engine had increased significantly, the oil quantity was low, and the oil temperature was also low—an unusual error neither pilot had encountered before.

They immediately referred to the flight manual but found no relevant information. They contacted the Air Transat maintenance control center in Canada and were advised to monitor the error. Although the cockpit showed faulty readings, the flight seemed otherwise fine, leading the pilots to suspect a faulty sensor. However, a significant incident awaited them, marking this event as a dark chapter in aviation history.

About half an hour later, another advisory message appeared on the cockpit screen, this time related to fuel. Commercial airlines' fuel is evenly distributed in their wings, but the warning indicated less fuel in the right wing compared to the left. The pilots initially dismissed this as a minor issue, as such warnings often occur with slight fuel imbalances. They opened the cross-feed valve to distribute the fuel evenly between both wings.

However, ten minutes later, the captain saw a low fuel warning again, with the right wing showing less fuel. Even combining the fuel from both wings wouldn't be enough to reach Lisbon. At this point, only seven tons of fuel remained, just six percent of the aircraft's total capacity, and it was depleting rapidly. With no other option, the pilots decided to divert the plane to Lajes Airport on Terceira Island and informed air traffic control.

Meanwhile, the crew tried to identify the cause of the fuel loss. The captain asked the flight attendants to check for fuel leaks from the right wing, but the darkness made it difficult to see anything. The situation worsened as fuel was depleting at a rate of one ton every five minutes, leaving only 25 minutes of fuel to cover the remaining distance to Terceira Island. The maintenance team suggested flying at 20,000 feet to confirm the leak, but the captain refused, fearing they couldn't regain the 39,000 feet altitude if needed. Shortly after, the right engine caught fire, confirming the fuel leak and causing panic among passengers. The plane, with 45 tons of fuel and only one engine left, began losing altitude.