A New York City-bound flight experienced a harrowing ordeal on February 3rd when a fire erupted in the cockpit shortly after takeoff from Toronto Pearson International Airport according to The New York Post. The Endeavor Air regional jet, carrying 74 passengers, was forced to turn around and make an emergency landing back in Toronto.
The incident unfolded around 6:52 am as the plane was climbing to cruising altitude. "Hey Toronto departure! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!" The pilot urgently informed the air traffic controller as he saw sparks coming from the airplane's windshield while going up to its highest point, as heard in a recently posted audio on YouTube.
According to NY Post report, the crew pinpointed the source as the captain's side windshield heater, which had begun to spark and emit flames.
"This is Endeavor 4826, declaring an emergency. I just had a fire, a spark-up, an electrical fire, up in the cockpit. It looks like it's out currently," the pilot then says more calmly. "Requesting a return to Toronto immediately."
The person in charge of air traffic responds to the pilot's request and tells him to turn the Bombardier CRJ-900 plane back and begin to descend.
Reacting swiftly, the pilots donned oxygen masks and requested an immediate return to Toronto. Emergency vehicles were alerted and prepared to meet the plane upon landing. The flight crew successfully extinguished the fire and maneuvered the aircraft back to the airport, landing safely on the runway.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported on board. The plane underwent a thorough inspection to determine the cause of the fire and ensure its airworthiness before resuming any further flights.
