Canada BCS3 at Denver on Aug 31st 2025, acrid odour in cabin
Last Update: March 18, 2026 / 12:43:26 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Aug 31, 2025
Classification
Accident
Airline
Air Canada
Flight number
AC-1038
Departure
Denver, United States
Destination
Toronto, Canada
Aircraft Registration
C-GYLQ
Aircraft Type
Airbus A220-300
ICAO Type Designator
BCS3
The airline reported an acrid smell from a galley area, the aircraft was evacuated via slides after landing. One passenger received minor injuries as result of the evacuation.
The flight was cancelled.
On Oct 17th 2025 the NTSB reported, they have opened an investigation into the occurrence rated an accident. One passenger received serious injuries. A preliminary report will not be released, a final report will be released in due time.
On Mar 18th 2026 the NTSB released their final report and investigation docket concluding the probable cause of the accident was:
Unidentified burned debris in an aft galley oven, which generated smoke and odor in the cabin and led to an air turnback and subsequent evacuation, during which a serious injury occurred.
The NTSB analysed:
According to the flight crew, during climb out, the flight attendants (FAs) informed them of an electrical burning odor in the aft cabin. The flight crew turned the power to the aft galley off, but the FAs stated the odor was getting stronger and that they observed haze in the cabin. At that time, the flight crew declared an emergency and coordinated with air traffic control for a return to DEN.
After landing, the flight crew stopped the aircraft on the runway and contacted the flight attendants to get an update on the situation in the cabin. The FAs stated that the situation was worse and that passengers were experiencing eye irritation. At that time, the captain commanded an evacuation.
During the evacuation, FAs observed passengers standing on both wings. One FA exited onto each wing and assisted with the overwing evacuations. A passenger sustained a serious injury to their right ankle and was unable to move away from the slide. At that time, passengers were redirected into the cabin and out the left overwing exit. The remainder of the evacuation was uneventful.
Post-event evaluation revealed burned debris on the baffle plate, carriers, and tray installed in an aft galley oven.
Aircraft Registration Data
Aircraft registration data reproduced and distributed with the permission of the Government of Canada.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Aug 31, 2025
Classification
Accident
Airline
Air Canada
Flight number
AC-1038
Departure
Denver, United States
Destination
Toronto, Canada
Aircraft Registration
C-GYLQ
Aircraft Type
Airbus A220-300
ICAO Type Designator
BCS3
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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