Editing Gimli Glider (section)

===Landing at Gimli===
In line with their planned diversion to Winnipeg, the pilots had been descending through {{convert|35000|ft|-2}}<ref name="ASWEB">{{Cite web |last=Ranter |first=Harro |title=Accident description |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19830723-0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128231906/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19830723-0 |archive-date=January 28, 2012 |access-date=July 24, 2008 |website=Aviation Safety Network}}</ref> when the second engine shut down. They had searched their emergency checklist for the section on flying the aircraft with both engines out, only to find that no such section existed.<ref name="WNelson" /> Captain Pearson was an experienced [[Glider aircraft|glider]] pilot, so he was familiar with flying techniques rarely used in commercial flight. Pearson needed to fly the 767 at the optimum [[glide ratio|glide]] speed to have the maximum range and, therefore, the largest choice of possible landing sites. Making his best guess as to this speed for the 767, he flew the aircraft at {{convert|220|kn}}. First Officer Quintal started to calculate whether they could reach Winnipeg. Quintal used the altitude from one of the mechanical backup instruments, while the distance travelled was supplied by the air traffic controllers in Winnipeg, measured by the aircraft's [[radar]] echo observed at Winnipeg. In {{convert|10|nmi}}, the aircraft lost {{convert|5000|ft|m}}, giving a [[glide ratio]] of roughly 12:1 (dedicated glider planes reach ratios of 50:1 to 70:1).<ref>{{cite web |date=June 20, 2002 |title=Flugerprobung – Leisting – Leistungsvermessung |trans-title=Flight testing – performance – performance measurement |url=http://www.leichtwerk.de/eta/de/flugerprobung/leistung.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113181040/http://www.leichtwerk.de/eta/de/flugerprobung/leistung.html |archive-date=November 13, 2017 |access-date=January 6, 2018 |language=de}}</ref>

At this point, Quintal proposed landing at the former [[RCAF Station Gimli]], a closed air force base where he had once served as a pilot for the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]. Unbeknownst to Quintal or the air traffic controller, a part of the facility had been converted to a race track complex, now known as [[Gimli Motorsports Park]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gimlimotorsportspark.com/default.asp |title=Gimli Motorsports Park website |access-date=May 8, 2014 |archive-date=May 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508043049/http://www.gimlimotorsportspark.com/default.asp |url-status=dead}}</ref> It included a road-race course, a [[go-kart]] track, and a [[dragstrip]]. A [[Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs]]-sanctioned sports-car race hosted by the Winnipeg Sports Car Club was underway at the time of the accident. The area around the decommissioned runway was full of cars and campers. Part of the decommissioned runway was being used to stage the race.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://redriverpca.org/newsletters/2008/PCAprint%20July%20%202008.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727205019/http://redriverpca.org/newsletters/2008/PCAprint%20July%20%202008.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Red River PCA website|archive-date=July 27, 2011}}</ref>

As the aircraft slowed on approach to landing, the reduced power generated by the [[ram air turbine]] rendered the aircraft increasingly difficult to control.<ref name="soaring" /> Without main power, the pilots used a [[Landing gear#Emergency extension systems|gravity drop]] to lower the [[landing gear]] and lock it into place. The main gear locked into position, but the nose wheel did not. The failure of the nose wheel to lock would later prove to be a serendipitous advantage after touchdown for the safety of those on the converted runway.

As the plane approached the runway, the pilots realized it was coming in too high and fast, increasing the likelihood that the 767 would run off the runway. The lack of hydraulic pressure prevented [[flap (aircraft)|flap]]/[[slat (aircraft)|slat]] extension that would have, under normal conditions, reduced the aircraft's [[stall speed]] and increased the lift coefficient of the wings, to slow the airliner for a safe landing. The pilots briefly considered a 360° turn to reduce speed and altitude, but they decided they did not have enough altitude for the manoeuvre. Pearson decided to execute a [[Slip (aerodynamics)#Forward-slip|forward slip]] to increase drag and reduce altitude. This manoeuvre, performed by "crossing the controls" (applying the rudder in one direction and [[ailerons]] in the other direction), is commonly used in gliders and light aircraft to descend more quickly without increasing forward speed; it is rarely used in large jet airliners outside of rare circumstances like those of this flight.<ref name=soaring /> The forward slip disrupted airflow past the ram air turbine, which decreased the hydraulic power available; the pilots were surprised to find the aircraft slow to respond when straightening after the forward slip.

With both engines completely [[Fuel starvation|starved of fuel]], the plane made hardly any noise during its approach. This gave people on the ground no warning of the impromptu landing and little time to flee. As the gliding plane closed in on the decommissioned runway, the pilots noticed boys were riding bicycles within {{convert|1,000|ft}} of the projected point of impact.<ref name=soaring />

Two factors helped avert disaster: the failure of the front landing gear to lock into position during the gravity drop, and a guardrail installed along the centre of the repurposed runway to facilitate its use as a drag [[race track]]. Pearson braked hard as soon as the wheels touched down on the runway, skidding and promptly blowing out two of the aircraft's tires. The unlocked nose wheel collapsed and was forced back into its well, causing the aircraft's nose to slam into, bounce off, and then scrape along the ground. This additional friction helped to slow the airplane, and kept it from crashing into the crowds surrounding the runway. Pearson applied extra right brake, which caused the main landing gear to straddle the guardrail. Air Canada Flight 143 came to a final stop on the ground 17 minutes after running out of fuel.<ref name="soaring">{{cite web |author=Nelson |first=Wade H. |date=1997 |title=The Gimli Glider Incident – From an article published in Soaring Magazine |url=http://hawaii.hawaii.edu/math/Courses/Math100/Chapter1/Extra/CanFlt143.htm |access-date=January 8, 2016 |website=hawaii.hawaii.edu/math/Courses/Math100 |publisher=University of Hawai'i |quote=(The dragstrip began in the middle of the runway with the guardrail extending towards 32L's threshold) Pearson applied extra right brake so the main gear would straddle the guardrail.}}</ref>

No serious injuries occurred among the 61 passengers or the people on the ground. As the aircraft's nose had collapsed onto the ground, its tail was elevated, so some minor injuries occurred when passengers exited the aircraft via the rear [[Evacuation slide|slides]], which were not sufficiently long to accommodate the increased height. Racers and course workers with portable fire extinguishers extinguished a minor fire in the nose area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Gimli Glider |url=http://www.damninteresting.com/the-gimli-glider/ |website=www.damninteresting.com |access-date=July 23, 2015}}</ref>