A fire in the cockpit of an Air Canada Jazz flight heading into Vancouver two weeks ago has sparked an investigation by the Transportation Safety Board.
The aircraft, which departed from Cranbrook in B.C.'s southern Interior, was making its landing approach when a windshield heater shorted out, causing sparks and a fire next to the pilot, and cracking the inner layer of a windshield.
The crew of three handled the situation so well the 33 passengers on the Dash-8 may not have even been aware of the drama unfolding in the cockpit, TSB investigator Bill Yearwood said.
Smoke filled the cockpit, forcing the pilots to put on oxygen masks and declare an emergency, but they managed to land the plane safely. After the landing the TSB launched an investigation and sent the windshield to Ottawa for analysis.
"We're having our lab look at it to determine what caused the short and if there is anything we need to be worried about fleet wide," Yearwood said.
The plane itself has been put back in service while the TSB determines if there is a design flaw with the windshield heating system, Yearwood said.
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