Local media reported it was snowing heavily when the accident occurred at around 00:43 a.m. local time. Goersch said it was safe for flight AC624 to land in snowy weather, and the cause for crash landing was still unclear.
Some passengers on board believed the plane hit a power line while descending. However, Halifax airport spokesperson Peter Spurway said he cannot confirm it was related to the crash. Power lines are down on the south side of the airport.
Spurway said "the airplane made a bad landing." A passenger said the plane was circling the airport for at least 30 minutes waiting for a good time to land. As the plane was coming down, there was "a big flash."
A secondary runway is in operation at the airport, so flights have resumed. Changes in flight schedules are expected and the airport is asking people to check with their airline for flight information.