MONTREAL — Passengers and crew aboard an Air Canada flight bound for Montreal experienced an unusually unpleasant journey after a suspected lavatory leak filled the cabin—and eventually the flight deck—with a foul stench mid-flight.
Air Canada Flight AC8822, operated by Jazz Aviation using a Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR (registration C-FJFZ), departed Washington, D.C., on schedule for Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport. However, roughly 25 minutes into the flight while cruising at 33,000 feet near Philadelphia, the cabin crew raised concerns over a recurring, pungent odor coming from the lavatory facilities.
Flight attendants alerted the flight deck to a possible waste line leak, noting that the smell was intermittently sweeping through the passenger cabin. Crew members also reported that the aircraft had operated a route out of Toronto earlier in the day prior to its leg from Washington.
The situation escalated approximately 20 minutes later when the flight crew confirmed that the fumes had infiltrated the cockpit, describing the smell as “nauseating” directly over communication lines.
Despite the uncomfortable conditions on board, the crew maintained control of the aircraft while monitoring system monitors for any mechanical or pressure alerts associated with the environmental controls.
The flight is continuing on its northbound trajectory and is anticipated to make a standard landing in Montreal at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time, where maintenance teams were expected to inspect the 5 year-old-regional jet upon arrival at the gate.
