Air Canada Express flight returns to Toronto after windshield cracks

A plane bound for the US had to return to Toronto after windshield cracks were spotted while the aircraft was in flight.

The Air Canada Express flight departed Toronto Pearson Airport for Charlotte in North Carolina on Tuesday (2 August).

The aircraft got as far as Lake Erie, just short of Canada’s border with the US, before the pilots made the decision to turn back.

“Shortly after departing Toronto Pearson International Airport, the flight crew noticed cracking in the right-hand side window,” said Lauren Dunn, spokesperson for Jazz Aviation LP – the airline operating the flight on behalf of Air Canada under the Air Canada Express brand.

“Aircraft windows are double-paned for safety. Per our standard operating procedures, the flight returned to Toronto, landing safely and uneventfully.”

The plane for flight AC8745 was a Mitsubishi CRJ-200ER, which typically holds about 50 passengers.

One of the passengers was Nathan Schnerch, who was travelling to North Carolina to visit a friend.

He told Toronto Star that there was an announcement 20 minutes into the flight saying they had to return to Toronto.

The flight crew told passengers that the windshield had cracked and that, to avoid risk, the plane was going back to the airport where they would all be deboarded.

“At least we’re all safe,” Mr Schnerch said.

Cracked windshields are not a unique problem for Air Canada, but the airline has been affected by a number of such incidents over recent years.

Last month, a Boeing 737 that departed Denver for Montreal had to divert to Minneapolis after the flight crew “heard a loud cracking noise” and found that a window in the cockpit was damaged – website Aviation Herald reported.

In August 2021, a Boeing 787 from Toronto to Montreal sustained a cracked windshield with 150 passengers on board, but was able to land safely.

Meanwhile in November 2019, a Boeing 787 that departed London Heathrow for Toronto had to be diverted to Dublin after the windshield cracked at the beginning of its flight over the Atlantic Ocean.