Canex Flight 501: Boeing 727-260 Wing Damage During Landing at Hamilton

Incident Overview and Flight Details On March 17, 1998, at 1924 Pacific Standard Time, a cargo-laden Boeing 727-260, serial number 22759, departed Vancouver, British Columbia, for Montreal, Quebec. The aircraft, operating as Canex Flight 501 (CNX 501), carried three crew members and was scheduled to stop in Calgary, Alberta; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Hamilton, Ontario. The transcontinental flight proceeded without incident and on schedule, with the first officer flying the segment from Winnipeg to Hamilton. At 0410 Eastern Standard Time on March 18, 1998, the aircraft landed firmly on runway 12L at Hamilton following an instrument landing system (ILS) approach. During a subsequent ramp walkaround, investigators discovered damage to the outboard underside section of the left wing, where the wing had scraped the runway surface on touchdown, damaging the leading and trailing edge flaps. The accident occurred during night hours at an elevation of 760 feet above sea level in instrument meteorological flight conditions. The calculated landing weight was 133,000 pounds (60,382 kilograms), with weight and centre of gravity within prescribed limits. No evidence of malfunction or component failure contributed to the accident.