A Delta Airlines flight crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, leaving 18 people injured, including a child. Despite the dramatic accident, all 80 people on board, including four crew members, survived.

Toronto plane crash

Delta Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, left Minneapolis’ St. Paul International Airport for Toronto. As it neared Runway 23 around 2:15 p.m. local time, air traffic control warned of possible turbulence from another plane.

Soon after, the aircraft lost control and landed upside down. Strong winds and snow are said to have been involved, although investigations are ongoing.

Eyewitness and passenger testimonies

One of the passengers, Pete Koukov, recalled the horrifying experience.

“We hit the ground, and we were sideways, and then we were upside down hanging like bats,” Koukov explained to CNN. 

“Just feeling lucky and happy I got to give the person I didn't know sitting next to me a big hug, that we were OK.”

Emergency crews arrived at the scene quickly, putting out the fire and removing all the passengers. Footage of passengers is seen walking away from the wreckage, covering their faces from the strong wind. The plane, a Bombardier CRJ-900, was tailless and at least one wing was missing.

How many were injured?

Peel Regional Paramedic Services assured that 18 people were injured on board. A child, a man aged about 60 years, and a woman about 40 years old were in serious condition but are expected to recover.

Delta plane flips on landing at Toronto airport, all 80 on board survive - The Hindu[Image source - The Hindu]

Toronto Pearson President Deborah Flint also commended the emergency response team for their quick response. “There was no loss of life, and this is indeed a testament to our heroic and trained professionals, our first responders at the airport,” she said.

What caused the crash?

Authorities are still unable to confirm the cause of the accident, although preliminary findings indicate that poor weather could have been a factor.

Canada's Meteorological Service said the airport was being hit by blowing snow, icy conditions, and wind of 60-65 km/h when the plane landed. Aviation analyst Keith Tonkin suggested that the pilots could have been having a problem holding the plane steady because of wind gusts.

Contrary to this, Toronto Airport Fire Chief Todd Aitken said, "The runway was dry, and there were no crosswind conditions.”

John Cox, chief executive of aviation safety consulting company Safety Operating Systems, watched videos of the accident and recommended otherwise. He observed that there was an average crosswind of 19 knots (35 km/h) when landing.

One of the main questions in the inquiry is why the plane was without its right wing.“If one wing is missing, it’s going to have a tendency to roll over,” Cox explained. The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder will give more information about the reason for the crash.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will conduct the investigation with the help of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. In the meantime, Delta Airlines has established a Passenger Inquiry Center for families and loved ones to learn more about passengers on board.

Flight operations at Toronto Pearson International Airport are now back to normal, though more than 200 flights were canceled earlier in the day.

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