Topline
A Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis flipped over on the tarmac while attempting to land in windy and snowy conditions at Toronto’s Pearson Airport on Monday—resulting in injuries to 18 of the 80 people on board the plane but no fatalities—the latest in a series of aviation incidents involving U.S. passenger planes in the past month.
A Delta airlines plane sits on its roof after crashing upon landing at Toronto Pearson Airport in … [+]
Key Facts
Toronto’s Pearson International Airport said the cause of the crash was under investigation and added that a total of 18 injured passengers were transported to hospitals—17 immediately after the crash and one later.
Delta confirmed that the incident involved Delta Connection flight 4819, operated by its regional subsidiary Endeavor Air, and noted that the incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. ET without providing additional details.
Deborah Flint, the CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority told reporters at an evening press conference that the authorities were “very grateful there was no loss of life and relatively minor injuries,” and added that they were “very focused” on caring for the affected passengers at the moment.
Airport authorities offered very little details about the incident and said the cause of the crash was still under investigation—which will be led by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
The NTSB also announced it will be leading a team of U.S. investigators to assist the Canadian authorities.
Operations at the airport were halted immediately after the incident but the arrival and departure of other flights was restarted at 5 p.m. EST, although two runways still remained closed.
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What Is Known About The Delta Plane Crash?
While officials have provided very few details about the incident itself, photos and videos of the crash’s aftermath showed the CRJ900 passenger plane overturned on the snow-covered tarmac with the plane’s fuselage still in one piece. The impact of the inclement weather on the crash remains unknown but wind speeds of of 32 mph (with gusts as high as 40 mph) were reported at the airport while temperatures were below freezing at 16.5 degrees Fahrenheit. According to CNN, the plane flipped while landing and a fire broke out as passengers, who were buckled to their seats, were left hanging upside down. Firefighters responded immediately to extinguish the flames after which some passengers unbuckled themselves and stood on the plane’s ceiling. The passengers were led out of the upturned plane through the exit doors, by the flight attendants, the report added.
What Do We Know About The Passengers And Their Injuries?
During the press conference, Flint said 22 of the 76 passengers on board the plane were Canadian nationals and the rest were “multinational.” She then added, “At this time, we do not know of any of those passengers having critical injuries.” A local air ambulance service had previously said an injured child passenger was taken to a local children’s hospital with “critical injuries.” Two other passengers, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s, had also sustained critical injuries according to the paramedic service, but none were considered life-threatening at the time. In its statement, Delta mentioned that “some of the customers initially transported to area hospitals have been released.”
Big Number
134. That is the total number of both inbound and departing flights from Toronto Pearson that have been canceled so far on Tuesday, according to FlightAware’s tracker. This follows nearly 400 cancelations on Monday after the crash.
Crucial Quote
“I’m relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson. Provincial officials are in contact with the airport and local authorities and will provide any help that’s needed,” the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford said on X.
Key Background
The plane crash comes at what’s already been a fraught time for air travel, following a recent fatal plane crash at Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport as a flight collided with a military helicopter. Several smaller flight crashes in Philadelphia, Alaska and Georgia have also raised anxiety about air travel, particularly as President Donald Trump’s administration and billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have moved forward with cuts at the FAA. Multiple news outlets reported late Sunday that nearly 300 FAA staffers were fired over the weekend. The cuts have drawn widespread condemnation amid the anxiety in the wake of the Reagan Airport crash, with the union representing the terminated workers saying the “hastily made” layoffs will be “dangerous” for public safety and decrying the staff cuts as “especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month.” Musk claimed on X on Sunday evening his company SpaceX will play a role in federal aviation in the Trump administration, tweeting, “SpaceX engineers will help make air travel safer.”
Further Reading
