An Air Canada flight that took off from Toronto Pearson International Airport last month was forced to return back to the travel hub just a few minutes after takeoff due to a cracked windshield. 

The situation was detailed in a reconstruction video by the aviation channel, You can see ATC, on YouTube.

According to the air traffic control and flight crew conversation, the Air Canada Airbus A220-300 performing flight AC470 from Pearson Airport bound for Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport took off at 10:53 p.m. on Feb. 4. 

However, shortly after takeoff, the pilot noticed an issue with the aircraft's windshield and reported it to Air Traffic Controllers. 

"We're gonna need to just stay in the Toronto area right now. We just have an issue. We got a windshield, just cracked here. So we're gonna be going back to Toronto," the pilot says. 

"We're gonna need just a few more minutes to run some checks," the pilot continues. 

"Air Canada 470, no problem, you got as long as you need. Just let me know when you’re ready to come in," the controller responds. 

Just a few moments later, the pilot upgrades the issue by declaring PAN-PAN, a term used in radiotelephone communications to signify that there is an urgency on board a boat, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle. It's typically used when there is a state of urgency but not when there is an immediate danger to a person's life. 

"Just due to aircraft weight here, we're just slightly overweight here. So we're gonna have to upgrade this to PAN-PAN," the pilot says, asking the controller to "have the vehicles available to check the brakes on landing." 

The pilot also notes that there are 144 passengers on board with 4,200 kilograms of fuel remaining. 

"Just to let you know, we're gonna have to stop on the runway to get them to check the brake temperature before we taxi off. We expect to be fine. But just due to the overweight landing, that’s what we’re gonna have to do," the pilot notes. 

Thankfully, the aircraft was able to land safely back at Pearson Airport without any injuries. Fire trucks met the aircraft on the runway, and just eight minutes later, it was taxied back to the gate.