All passengers survive plane flip at Toronto airport (Video)
All 80 people on board a Delta Air Lines flight that crashed and overturned while landing in Toronto survived, according to officials.
The flight, arriving from Minneapolis, skidded along the runway, with one of its wings catching fire. The plane eventually stopped upside down as firefighters extinguished the flames.
Survivors described being suspended upside down in their seats and needing to free themselves by dropping onto the plane’s ceiling before scrambling out onto the snow-covered tarmac.
Eighteen people were injured, but only a few are believed to be seriously hurt. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the crash.
The aircraft, a 16-year-old CRJ900 made by Bombardier, had 76 passengers and four crew members on board.
Eighteen passengers were taken to the hospital. Among the injured, a child, a man in his 60s, and a woman in her 40s were reported to have critical injuries, according to Ontario’s air ambulance service, Ornge.
During an evening briefing, Ms. Flint praised the emergency personnel for their “textbook” response, which she said helped ensure no fatalities.
The US Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the flight was operated by Endeavor Air, a Delta subsidiary.
The incident occurred around 14:15 ET (19:15 GMT) on Monday, Delta said. Of the passengers, 22 were Canadian nationals, while the rest were from various countries.
Toronto Pearson Airport was temporarily closed, but normal operations resumed around 17:00 local time.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is investigating the incident and has stated that two runways will be closed for several days, leading to expected delays.
Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken noted that the runway was dry and there were no crosswind conditions at the time of the crash. This contradicted earlier reports suggesting wind gusts of more than 64 km/h (40 mph) and a crosswind.
Social media footage showed passengers climbing out of the overturned plane, with fire crews spraying it with foam.
One man filming from outside the plane was heard saying, “Our plane crashed, it’s upside down,” and later added, “Most people appear to be OK. We’re all getting off, there’s some smoke going on.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed that provincial officials were in contact with local authorities and would provide any necessary assistance, while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz praised the first responders on the scene.
After the crash, Toronto Pearson’s arrival and departure boards showed numerous delays and cancellations. Some passengers reported being stranded in Toronto for days.
James and Andrea Turner, who were in customs when the incident occurred, described being evacuated and moved back to a crowded general area.
The airport had already been dealing with weather-related delays, including heavy snow and freezing temperatures, due to two storms that had recently impacted Ontario. On the day of the crash, light snow was falling.
Earlier on Monday, the airport had issued a warning about “frigid temperatures and high winds” moving into the area, anticipating a busy day as airlines recovered from the weekend’s snowstorm.
This crash is at least the fourth major aviation incident in North America in the past month, following a fatal in-air collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter near Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan airport, which resulted in 67 fatalities.
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