What happened
On 19 October 1995, a Canadian Airlines International DC-10-30ER was preparing for a scheduled flight from Vancouver International Airport to Taipei, Taiwan. The aircraft, carrying 243 passengers and 14 crew members, was operating with a disabled thrust reverser on the number 2 engine due to a previously unrectified mechanical fault.
During the take-off roll on runway 26, the aircraft accelerated past the V1 decision speed. Approximately two seconds after the V1 call, a loud bang and significant airframe vibration occurred, caused by an engine stall in engine number 1. The captain, perceiving the noise as a potential threat, initiated a rejected take-off. Despite the crew's efforts to decelerate, the aircraft could not stop within the remaining runway length. The aircraft exited the paved surface at approximately 40 knots, traveling into soft ground. As the aircraft rolled through the unpaved area, the nose-wheel gear collapsed due to the impact with a buried power cable and the force of the soft soil. The aircraft came to rest 400 feet beyond the end of the runway in a nose-down position. During the subsequent emergency evacuation, six passengers sustained minor injuries.
The investigation
The TSB examined the aircraft's mechanical state, noting that the engine number 1 experienced a significant power loss at 170 knots. Investigators analyzed the flight data recorder, which showed that the aircraft's auto-brake system was activated by the manual deployment of spoilers. The investigation also focused on the structural failure of the nose gear, determining that the collapse was caused by an overload at the forward bracing attachment point rather than fatigue. Additionally, the investigation looked into the crew's decision-making process regarding the rejected take-off and the lack of specific training regarding the acoustic characteristics of high bypass ratio engine compressor stalls.