Passengers aboard a taxiing aircraft were reportedly left horrified last month when chilling screams suddenly echoed from beneath the cabin just moments before takeoff.  

According to the officials, a ground crew member became trapped inside the plane’s cargo hold when doors “inadvertently closed” behind him, according to local station CBC. 

The incident happened on Dec. 13 when Air Canada Flight 1502 was preparing to depart Toronto Pearson Airport for Moncton, New Brunswick, the outlet said. 

The Airbus flight, which was carrying 184 passengers, was ultimately canceled following the incident.  

ALL 8 TIRES BURST IN HARROWING ATLANTA LANDING FAILURE INVOLVING PASSENGER JET
 

Passengers told CBC that distressing sounds of muffled banging and desperate screams quickly filled the rear of the aircraft as it began taxiing toward the runway, prompting flight attendants to sprint down the aisle in alarm.

“Some of the people that were sitting towards the back of the plane heard the person screaming and banging, trying to get their attention,” passenger Gabrielle Caron said. 

“We could see the crew gathering around the plane, so we knew something was happening,” she added. “Then, the pilot tells us that there is someone from the crew in the luggage hold.”

PASSENGER ALLEGEDLY OPENS EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR ON TAXIING PLANE, DEPLOYS SLIDE AT ATLANTA AIRPORT: POLICE

The aircraft reportedly halted before reaching the runway. Moments later, the trapped ground crew member emerged safely from the cargo and entered the cabin, reassuring shaken passengers that he was unharmed, Caron reported. 

Air Canada confirmed to CBC that no injuries were reported in the incident. 

Caron added that the crew member involved was reportedly assisting ground staff by loading items as an extra set of hands and may have been left unaccounted for when the doors closed.

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The plane eventually returned to the terminal, where passengers were asked to disembark while the flight crew completed necessary paperwork, CBC reported.

The flight was ultimately canceled after several delays, the outlet said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Air Canada for more information.

PodcastPodcast, The Take

As protests continue, Iran and the US seem to hint at readiness for war.

Iran’s protests started with economic demands. Now, the Iranian government says it is ready for war. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has told Iranian protesters that “help is on the way”, as Washington discusses military options. Could tension spread far beyond Iran?

In this episode: 

• Negar Mortazavi (@NegarMortazavi), Center for International Policy senior fellow and host of The Iran Podcast

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili, Chloe K Li and Melanie Marich, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Tamara Khandaker, Noor Wazwaz and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Ney Alvarez. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh is over.

The longest-tenured head coach in major American professional sports stepped down from his job leading the Steelers on Tuesday after yet another quick playoff exit.

The announcement came a day after the end of his 19th season in Pittsburgh, where he was a relative unknown when he was hired to replace Bill Cowher in early 2007 before carving out his own Hall of Fame-worthy chapter in team history.

“I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the late Ambassador (Dan) Rooney for their trust and support,” Tomlin said in a statement released by the team. “I am also thankful to the players who gave everything they had every day, and to the coaches and staff whose commitment and dedication made this journey so meaningful.”

Art Rooney II, who took over for his Hall of Fame father as team president in 2003, lauded Tomlin for his dedication to the franchise and his uncanny ability to churn out competitive teams year after year in an era when parity is the norm.

“It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin,” Rooney said in a statement. “He guided the franchise to our sixth Super Bowl championship and made the playoffs 13 times during his tenure, including winning the AFC North eight times in his career. His track record of never having a losing season in 19 years will likely never be duplicated.”

Tomlin won one Super Bowl and went to another during his first four seasons in Pittsburgh before the club settled into a pattern of solid if not always spectacular play followed by a playoff cameo that ended with the Steelers on the wrong side of a blowout.

The 53-year-old Tomlin won 193 regular-season games in Pittsburgh, tied with Hall of Famer Chuck Noll for the most victories in franchise history. But their resumes diverged when it comes to the playoffs. While Noll won four Super Bowls in the 1970s, Tomlin went just 8-12 in the postseason, losing each of his last seven playoff games, all by double-digit margins.

The last came Monday night, when the AFC North champions squandered some early momentum before getting drilled 30-6 by Houston, the most lopsided home playoff loss in team history.

There were chants of “Fire Tomlin!” as the clock kicked toward zero, though they weren’t nearly as impassioned as they were in late November while the Steelers were getting pushed around by Buffalo in a loss that dropped their record to 6-6.

Tomlin did his best to tune out the noise and his team responded, the way it seemingly always did during his tenure. Pittsburgh won four of its final five games, including a sweep of Baltimore that gave the club its first AFC North title since 2020.

The optimism, however, dimmed once the Texans asserted themselves. The NFL’s top-ranked defense suffocated Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh’s offense while the league’s highest-paid defense wilted late.

It was a familiar and frustrating pattern for a place where, as Tomlin noted not long after his introduction, “the standard is the standard.”

And while that remains the case for a team whose members walk by six Lombardi Trophies every day on the way to work, the results had plateaued. The Steelers finished with 9 or 10 wins in each of Tomlin’s final five seasons, often doing just enough to squeak into the playoffs before being exposed by a more talented opponent.

Tomlin had two years left on the contract extension he signed in 2024, with the club holding the option for 2027.

His departure leaves the Steelers looking for a head coach for just the third time since they hired Noll in 1969.

Pittsburgh likely won’t lack for attractive candidates. The club’s stability — the team has had just three head coaches since 1969 — combined with its ability to remain competitive even without a franchise quarterback for the last half-decade means whoever gets the job will be given substantial leeway to get the team back to the top.

The announcement came as somewhat of a shock. Tomlin learned long ago to tune out his detractors, and in the final question he fielded as head coach, he painted an upbeat picture about the team’s future.

“I’m always feel optimistic about what we’re capable of doing in terms of putting together a group, certainly,” he said Monday night.

And with that, he stepped off the dais and into a future that will not lack for options. Long one of the most charismatic people in football, Tomlin could step into television if he wants, as Cowher did after retiring, with no looking back.

Yet it seems just as likely that he will have his choice of jobs if or when he wants to coach again. Players defended Tomlin — almost uniformly popular within the locker room — to the end.

Tight end Pat Freiermuth called Tomlin “one of the best coaches I’ll ever play for, probably the best. In my opinion his message hasn’t got stale. I believe in him.”

Freiermuth added that his belief extended to general manager Omar Khan, who will be in charge of finding the right person for one of the most attractive coaching gigs in any league.

Tomlin’s two predecessors are in the Hall of Fame. Tomlin could very well find himself getting fitted for a gold jacket of his own. Yet rather than try to come back next year and break Noll’s record for regular-season wins, he opted to, as Noll once famously put it, “get on with his life’s work.”

And the Steelers will try to find the right person to help them return to the standard that the franchise lives by, one it clutched at but never quite grasped during Tomlin’s final years.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl