Final answer:
A flight crew must commit to a Full Stop landing when a critical emergency, such as loss of engines, necessitates an immediate landing and no alternate airport is within reach. The skillful handling of the power-out 767 by Captain Robert Pearson showcases such a scenario, successfully avoiding a potential disaster.
Step-by-step explanation:
A flight crew is committed to a Full Stop landing when it becomes impossible to continue the flight due to a critical situation such as loss of engines or running out of fuel, and there is no possibility of reaching an alternate airport with the available aircraft energy and conditions. In the scenario of the 767 flight from Montreal to Ottawa, heading towards Edmonton, the pilots were faced with an emergency when all engines shut down mid-flight due to fuel exhaustion, leaving the aircraft powerless and converting it into a glider.
With his glider experience, Captain Robert Pearson and First Officer Maurice Quintal made a crucial decision to attempt an emergency landing at Gimli Station, a former Royal Air Force base. Despite lacking electrical power and therefore traditional landing gear operation, they performed a successful landing, which, although it resulted in buckled landing gear, ensured the safety of all passengers and crew.