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Pilot of Air Canada flight scolded after 'incredibly dangerous' Toronto landing

An Air Canada Jazz pilot who recently landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport faced scoldings from multiple air traffic controllers shortly after her flight touched down. 

According to aviation news website, Simple Flying, the pilot, who was operating flight QK7738 from North Bay Jack Garland Airport (YYB) appears to have switched frequencies without approval from Pearson's airport tower. 

The pilot reportedly made the change before receiving instruction and crossing a departing runway. Despite this, a recording of the incident, uploaded by YouTube channel VASAviation, shows that the airport tower cleared the aircraft to cross before the ground crew was aware. 

While the flight had been cleared by the airport tower to cross the departing runway, Simple Flying notes that they would've had to wait on further instructions before switching frequencies to ground control. 

"Jazz 7738, never switch out instruction," an airport tower controller tells the pilot. 

"Jazz 7738, in the future, you were not switched at all by tower and you went to the wrong frequency. You have to wait for them to actually switch you," ground control added.

"Yeah, on this operation, don't ever switch. Especially on the wrong frequency, that is incredibly dangerous." 

According to Simple Flying, the biggest concern with switching frequencies was that ground control was not aware of the aircraft's actions, meaning the pilots could've been speaking to the wrong person who was overseeing a different section of the airport. 

blogTO reached out to Air Canada for comment on the incident but has not received a response back at the time of this article's publication. 

Lead photo by

Air Canada


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