Azores Glider Emergency Landing: Fuel leak turns A330 into 65-nautical-mile glider; all 306 survive

A routine transatlantic journey from Canada to Portugal became a fight for survival when an Air Transat passenger jet lost both its engines over the Atlantic Ocean in August 2001. With no engine power and land still some distance away, Captain Robert Piché and First Officer Dirk DeJager had to guide the aircraft towards an airport in the Azores, relying on the plane's ability to glide.

All 306 people aboard survived the emergency landing, although several passengers and crew members were injured. According to the Portuguese aviation accident investigation report, CBC News and the Aviation Safety Network, the Airbus A330 ran out of fuel because of a leak that developed during the flight.

The incident, involving Air Transat Flight 236, later became known as the Azores Glider and remains one of the most remarkable examples of an unpowered passenger aircraft landing.The flight departed Toronto Pearson International Airport on August 23, 2001, bound for Lisbon, Portugal, with 293 passengers and 13 crew members aboard. The aircraft, an Airbus A330-243, was just over two years old.