A Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis experienced a serious accident while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday. The plane crashed, flipped upside down, and burst into flames on the runway.
Fortunately, all 80 people on board survived. However, 18 individuals sustained injuries, as reported by Delta.
Eyewitness video captured chaotic moments as the aircraft landed hard. The rear landing gear buckled, and a fireball erupted when the right wing broke apart.
The plane skidded on its belly before flipping over, creating clouds of smoke and loose snow. An astonished witness exclaimed, “Oh, no, no, no, no, no!” while filming from another nearby plane.
This incident is part of a troubling trend in North American air travel this year. Earlier, a regional airline crash in Alaska resulted in the tragic loss of 10 lives. Just weeks prior, a midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter near Washington, D.C. led to 67 fatalities.
Here’s what we know about the Delta flight:
Delta Flight 4819, run by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air, was making its approach when the crash occurred around 2:15 p.m. ET. Among the injured was a child who, fortunately, is in good condition. Some survivors who were hospitalized have since been released.
Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, expressed gratitude towards first responders for their swift actions and support. Toronto Pearson’s CEO, Deborah Flint, praised the emergency teams for their textbook response.
Passengers described the terrifying experience. Pete Koukov recalled not realizing anything was wrong until the plane hit the ground. He described the aftermath as “upside down hanging like bats.”
Another passenger, John Nelson, described the moment of impact as a sudden, hard hit, followed by a view of a big fireball from the left side of the plane. Chaos erupted as people scrambled to escape.
The investigation into the crash is being led by Canadian authorities, with support from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. It occurred on a windy day following heavy snowfall. Air traffic control reported winds of 26 mph, gusting up to 38 mph, which may have contributed to the accident.
Toronto Pearson will keep two runways closed during the investigation. The last serious accident at the airport occurred almost 20 years ago when an Air France flight slid off the runway but everyone survived.
As investigators work to uncover the cause of the crash, both Delta and Endeavor Air are cooperating fully.
