A Delta flight carrying 76 passengers and 4 crew members crashed on the snowy runway of Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday afternoon. The plane flipped onto its back after landing, causing a dramatic scene. Seventeen people were injured, with three, including a child, reported to be in serious condition. Thankfully, all passengers and crew members survived.
Ornge Air Ambulance confirmed that three individuals were transported to Toronto hospitals in critical condition, including a child sent to the Hospital for Sick Children and two adults, one in his 60s and the other in her 40s, taken to other facilities.
Survivor footage captured the terrifying aftermath, showing a female passenger hanging upside down in her seat after the crash. “My plane crashed I’m upside down,”
Survivor footage captured the terrifying aftermath, showing a female passenger hanging upside down in her seat after the crash. “My plane crashed I’m upside down,” she captioned the video, which showed other panicked passengers scrambling to exit. Another survivor, Pete Koukov, compared the experience to hanging upside down like bats, saying, “We hit the ground, and we were sideways, and then we were upside down hanging like bats.” He expressed relief afterward, sharing, “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, and see my friends who are here to pick me up from the airport and give them a big hug.”
Pearson airport briefly closed its runways but later resumed operations, with aviation officials confirming that all passengers and crew were accounted for by 3 pm local time.
The flight, originating from Minneapolis, was one of many dealing with disruptions from 22 centimeters of snow that had fallen over the weekend. The crash involved Delta flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air.
Toronto’s Mayor Olivia Chow and Transport Minister Anita Anand acknowledged the seriousness of the incident, with investigators from the Transportation Board of Canada dispatched to probe further.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow shared her relief over the accountability of passengers and crew, praising first responders and airport staff for their quick actions.