Passengers on an Air Canada flight out of Toronto got a nightmare scenario straight out of a bad movie, and it happened while the plane was still on the ground. As the jet taxied toward takeoff, terrified screams and frantic banging echoed from beneath the cabin floor. It was not turbulence, mechanical noise, or a prank. A ground crew worker had been accidentally trapped inside the cargo hold.
The incident happened December 13 aboard Air Canada Flight 1502, which was preparing to depart Toronto Pearson International Airport for Moncton, New Brunswick. According to reporting from CBC, the Airbus aircraft was carrying 184 passengers when the cargo doors somehow closed with a worker still inside.
As the plane began rolling toward the runway, passengers seated near the back started hearing what can only be described as pure panic. Loud banging. Desperate screaming. The kind of sound that immediately tells you something is very wrong. Flight attendants rushed toward the rear of the plane as the noise continued.
Passenger Gabrielle Caron told CBC that people near the back of the cabin could clearly hear the trapped worker trying to get attention. She said passengers could also see ground crews gathering around the aircraft outside, which confirmed that this was not some routine issue. Shortly after, the pilot came on the intercom and calmly informed everyone that a crew member was stuck in the luggage hold. Calm voice or not, that is not something anyone wants to hear while strapped into a plane.
Air Canada Rouge passengers alert crew after a baggage handler gets stuck in the cargo hold at Toronto Pearson Airport, local media reports.
The incident happened on December 13, 2025, involving Air Canada Rouge flight AC1502, which was scheduled to operate from Toronto to… pic.twitter.com/ATxx5ZTawb
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Fortunately, the aircraft stopped before reaching the runway. The cargo hold was opened, and the worker was freed and brought into the cabin. According to Caron, he assured passengers that he was okay and had not been injured. Air Canada later confirmed that no injuries were reported, which is about the only good news in this entire story.
Caron said the worker had been helping load items into the plane and was likely overlooked when the doors were closed. That explanation should make people uneasy. This is not a freak act of nature. This is a procedural failure in an industry where checklists and redundancy are supposed to prevent exactly this kind of thing.
After the worker was rescued, the plane returned to the terminal. Passengers were asked to deplane while paperwork was completed. After multiple delays, the flight was ultimately canceled.
No one was physically hurt, but let’s be honest. This is the kind of mistake that should never happen. Aviation safety depends on discipline, communication, and attention to detail. Leaving a human being locked in a cargo hold while a plane starts taxiing is not a small error. It is a serious wake-up call, and Air Canada owes passengers and employees a very clear explanation of how something this basic went wrong.