Miraculous Survival: Delta Jet Flips Upside Down on Icy Toronto Runway with All 80 Passengers Safe

A Delta Air Lines plane ended up on its roof while landing at Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday. Fortunately, all 80 people on board survived, with only a few suffering minor injuries, according to airport officials.

The incident happened around 2:15 p.m. as the aircraft was landing after a flight from Minneapolis. Snow and strong winds of up to 40 mph created challenging conditions. There were no problems reported in the communication between the control tower and the pilots prior to landing, leaving the exact cause of the crash unclear.

Passenger Peter Carlson, who was headed to a paramedics conference, described the landing as “very forceful.” He recalled how everything suddenly went sideways, and he found himself upside down, still fastened in his seat.

Footage shared on social media showed the aftermath, with the Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR overturned on the runway. Firefighters quickly arrived to help, as passengers crawled out of the aircraft and walked across the tarmac.

Deborah Flint, the CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority, expressed gratitude that there were no fatalities. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian also extended his support to those impacted.

Emergency crews reacted swiftly, and the Toronto Pearson Fire Chief reported that 18 passengers were transported to the hospital. Among the injured were two adults and one child, who were taken to various hospitals in the area.

The plane came to rest at the intersection of two runways, with no crosswinds noted at the time. The weather was quite harsh, with substantial snow and temperatures dipping to about -8.6 degrees Celsius.

Industry expert John Cox mentioned that while the pilots are trained to handle such conditions, it’s rare for an aircraft to end up on its roof. He emphasized the need to look into what caused the wing to be missing, as this could explain the aircraft’s unexpected roll during landing.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will lead the investigation into the incident. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is also involved, providing support as needed.

Delta’s regional subsidiary, Endeavor Air, operates the CRJ-900 and is the largest operator of this model worldwide. The aircraft was developed by Bombardier, a major Canadian aerospace company known for its regional jets.

This incident marks a significant event in aviation safety discussions, especially following several others in North America recently. Many eyes will be on the investigations to uncover the factors behind this unusual crash.