Topic: Donald S.

Air Canada Flight 797 was a scheduled trans-border flight that flew on a Dallas/Fort Worth-Toronto-Montreal route. On June 2, 1983(1983-06-02), the aircraft developed an in-flight fire behind the washroom that spread between the outer skin and the inner decor panels, filling the plane with noxious, toxic smoke. The spreading fire also burned through crucial electrical cables that knocked out most of the instrumentation in the cockpit, forcing the plane to divert to an alternate landing field. Ninety seconds after the plane landed and the doors were opened, enough oxygen was available for the fire to flashover, killing the 23 remaining passengers left on board.

Many regulations were implemented around the world to make airplanes safer, including the installation of smoke detectors and emergency lighting leading to exit doors, as well as at least minimal fighting of fires in-flight if necessary.

At 16:20 CDT (21:20 UTC) on June 2, 1983(1983-06-02), the Air Canada aircraft registered C-FTLU took off from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; it was to make a stop at Toronto International Airport (now Toronto Pearson International Airport) in Mississauga, Ontario, ultimately bound for Dorval Airport (now Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport) in Dorval, Quebec.