Passengers left confused, traumatized after collision at Toronto airport, says Winnipegger on WestJet flight

A Winnipeg man who was a passenger on a plane struck by another aircraft at Toronto's Pearson International Airport Friday evening says confusion and chaos followed what he calls a traumatic incident.

Moments before the WestJet aircraft Michael Bennett was on was struck by an empty Sunwing plane on the airport's tarmac, passengers were told they were waiting there because the airport's ground crew was understaffed, Bennett said.

The Sunwing aircraft collided with the WestJet plane — which had arrived from Cancun, Mexico, and had 168 guests and six crew onboard — causing a small fire and forcing the evacuation of the WestJet plane.

"[The Sunwing plane] wasn't going fast, it was very slow.… It was being towed," Bennett told CBC News Saturday. The semi-retired teacher was returning from an 11-day vacation with his wife.

The impact caused a crunching sound, Bennett said, and "the whole plane shook. It shook much more than you'd expect it to." 

The small fire caused by the collision quickly spread, he said. He and other passengers were uncertain about which plane was on fire.

"Then the flames, they didn't explode, but they doubled, tripled — four, five, six times in size.… There was lots and lots of smoke, and at this point people were yelling, 'What happened?' And we were waiting for some direction from the crew." 

He said that's when WestJet staff initiated the emergency evacuation procedure. 

"We were told to go, go, go, jump down this long slide. I've seen it in movies, but I've never been on it before. It's a very steep incline and you go at a terrific speed."

Confusion after emergency exit 

With no direction on what to do next, he said the people who exited the plane started running. 

"No one knew where they were running, they just started following one another," Bennett said. 

"Our immediate thought was to get away from the planes."

The passengers reached a security hut and started banging on the window.

The aftermath of the incident at the airport was "aggravating," Bennett said.

"We had just been through a traumatic experience, and we felt that we were not given anything.

"We were confused, we were traumatized, we had no luggage, we were underdressed for the weather."

He added that he felt airport staff didn't do enough to assist passengers. At one point people had to fill out forms on the floor before being moved to a nearby hotel. 

"It could have just been handled with a little compassion," he said. Both he and his wife are waiting to hear from WestJet regarding their luggage.

No one from Toronto Pearson International Airport was immediately available for comment Saturday.

One member of Toronto Pearson Fire and Emergency Services is being treated in hospital for minor injuries, the airport's website said. The passengers and crew aboard the aircraft were all safe and unharmed.

Staff from the Transportation Safety Board arrived at Toronto Pearson Friday evening and are completing an investigation.