# NTSB DCA11WA026: Boeing 767, Atlantic Ocean, Canada, January 14, 2011

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Foreign investigation
- Date: January 14, 2011, 06:55 local (06:55 UTC)
- Place: Atlantic Ocean, Canada
- Coordinates: 55, -29 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=55.0000&lon=-29.0000&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Abrupt maneuver](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/270)
- Highest injury: Serious injuries
- Injuries: 7 serious, 8 minor, 88 uninjured
- Status: Led by another country's authority
- NTSB office: Major Investigations Division
- Lead agency: Other
- NTSB case key (mKey): 78339
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DCA11WA026
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/78339/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA11WA026

## Probable cause

.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute-cruise: Abrupt maneuver](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/270) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 346 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/270/sequence.md)

## Analysis

On January 14, 2011, at 0655 UTC, a Boeing 767-300, Canadian registration C-GHLQ, operating as Air Canada flight 878, from Toronto Canada to Zurich, Switzerland experienced a pitch excursion resulting in a loss of 300 feet while in cruise at 35000 feet over the North Atlantic ocean. Thirteen passengers and two flight attendants were injured. After determining the extent of the injuries, it was decided to continue to destination. The seatbelt sign had been selected on 41 minutes prior to the pitch excursion. Upon arrival in Zurich, seven passengers were sent to surrounding hospitals for further assessments and observation. The airplane was not damaged. This accident is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. www.tsb.ca

## Factual narrative

On January 14, 2011, at 0655 UTC, a Boeing 767-300, Canadian registration C-GHLQ, operating as Air Canada flight 878, from Toronto Canada to Zurich, Switzerland experienced a pitch excursion resulting in a loss of 300 feet while in cruise at 35000 feet over the North Atlantic ocean. Thirteen passengers and two flight attendants were injured. After determining the extent of the injuries, it was decided to continue to destination. The seatbelt sign had been selected on 41 minutes prior to the pitch excursion. Upon arrival in Zurich, seven passengers were sent to surrounding hospitals for further assessments and observation. The airplane was not damaged. This accident is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. www.tsb.ca

## Aircraft

- Registration: C-GHLQ (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BOEING 767
- Category: Airplane
- Damage: No damage
- Flight: Non-U.S., commercial
- Operator: Air Canada
- Registered owner: Air Canada
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport
- Departed: CYYZ, Toronto
- Destination: LZRH, Zurich
- Flight plan: IFR
- Airport: LZRH, Zurich

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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