A man loading baggage onto an Air Canada aircraft departing from Toronto’s Pearson Airport was trapped in the cargo hold, only to be discovered while the A321 plane was taxiing to the runway.
Trapped underneath the cabin?
Flight AC1502 from Toronto was scheduled to fly to Moncton, New Brunswick, on Dec 13 last year, when the doors shut after safety checks, accidentally locking a member of ground staff inside. He was believed to be helping the ground staff as an extra pair of hands, according to Toronto Airport, remaining unaccounted for during final ground checks.
Air Canada passengers recall hearing screaming below the cabin and recount ground staff surrounding the aircraft outside, alongside flight attendants hurrying back and forth to report the situation back to the airport.
What happened next?
After an initial period of panic, the baggage handler was eventually rescued from the hold and escorted safely back to the terminal. Air Canada has confirmed that no one was injured during the initial taxi or the retrieval of the individual; the flight was delayed countless times before eventually being cancelled. The aircraft was taken out of use for the remainder of the day for safety inspections, and passengers were scheduled on an alternative flight the following morning.
Other flights were reported to be running as normal at Toronto Pearson.
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