Images and videos are emerging on social media following the aftermath of a Delta Air Lines jet flipping upside down upon landing at Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday.
Officials for the airline have confirmed that at least 18 people have been injured, as high winds and frigid conditions gripped the area.
The CRJ900 aircraft - operated by Delta’s Endeavor Air subsidiary - was arriving from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport when it overturned on the snow-covered tarmac.
Officials have confirmed that three of the 80 people on board — including a child —suffered critical injuries, while 15 others were also rushed to hospitals.
Some of the injured have since been released, Delta confirmed late Monday.
Delta Issues A Statement
In a statement to VT, a spokesperson for Delta Air Lines said: "Delta’s incident response team deployed to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) Monday evening to support efforts surrounding Delta Connection flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, that was involved in a single-aircraft accident at YYZ around 2:15 p.m. ET."
"No fatalities have been reported and some of the customers initially transported to area hospitals have been released," the statement continued.
A comment from Delta CEO Ed Bastian read: “The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport.
"I want to express my thanks to the many Delta and Endeavor team members and the first responders on site. We are working to confirm the details and will share the most current information on news.delta.com as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, please take care and stay safe."
Passengers Share Their Experiences
Following the incident, those onboard the plane have started to share photos, videos, and statements regarding the terrifying ordeal.
Passenger Ashley Zook took to Snapchat to share multiple videos from the scene, including one where she appears to be strapped into her seat — hanging upside down.
"I was just in a plane crash. Oh my god," she says in the clip, her voice filled with shock.
Passenger John Nelson, who was on Flight DL4819, posted a video of the aftermath on Facebook, capturing fire crews dousing the wreckage with water. He later recounted the terrifying moment to CNN.
"We hit the ground, and we were sideways, and then we were upside down," Nelson said.
"I was able to just unbuckle and sort of fall and push myself to the ground. And then some people were kind of hanging and needed some help being helped down, and others were able to get down on their own," he added.
“When we got finished, I was upside down, everybody else was there as well,” Nelson said. “We tried to get out of there as quickly as possible.” He added that once he was out of the plane, there was another explosion but “luckily the firefighters got out of there.”
Passenger Peter Carlson described the chaotic scene inside the overturned Delta jet, telling CBC: “It was cement and metal.”
“The absolute initial feeling is just need to get out of this,” he said, before recalling how passengers immediately came together in the aftermath of the crash.
“What I saw was everyone on that plane suddenly became very close, in terms of how to help one another, how to console one another,” he told CBC. “That was powerful, but there was definite: ‘What now? Who is leading? How do we find ourselves away from this?’”
Footage shows flight attendants assisting passengers as they crawled out of open exit doors. Although people were told to leave personal belongings behind, some people can still be seen existing the wreckage with their bags.
Harsh Weather or Something Else?
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The 16-year-old Bombardier-manufactured aircraft, powered by GE Aerospace engines, appeared to have at least one wing detached from the fuselage in footage captured after the accident.
Toronto Pearson had been experiencing strong winds and extreme cold following a weekend snowstorm that dumped more than eight inches of snow.
On Sunday (February 16), officials from Toronto Pearson tweeted: "The snow is still falling at the airport.
"Since it started yesterday, we've already had 12.2 cm of snow accumulate as of 8 a.m. The latest forecast shows we could see an additional 15 cm today.
"In total, we've had 53.6 cm of snow this past week. To put that into perspective, that's more than the 47.6 cm we got in January, December, and November, combined!
"Our teams are working hard to clear the runways by plowing, sweeping, and blowing the snow away."
A second tweet, shared hours before the crash on Monday, read: "Here's a look at part of our airfield this morning as the clean up continues from this weekend's storm.
"Our crews worked all weekend to keep the roughly 5 million square metres of airfield clear of snow to keep planes arriving and departing safely."
Flight tracking data showed the Delta jet landed at 2:13 p.m. (1913 GMT) near the intersection of runways 23 and 15, encountering what FlightRadar24 described as a “gusting crosswind and blowing snow.”
However, Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken later stated the runway was dry and that there were no crosswind conditions at the time of landing — an assertion that some pilots who reviewed the incident video disputed, per Reuters.
Investigators are particularly focused on why the right wing separated from the aircraft during the incident.
Delays Expected at Toronto Pearson
While flights have resumed at Toronto Pearson, airport president Deborah Flint warned of operational disruptions in the coming days as two runways remain closed for the investigation.
"We are very grateful that there is no loss of life and relatively minor injuries," Flint said during a press conference. She credited first responders for their swift actions.
Additionally, the Delta Air Lines spokesperson told VT: "Delta people have been working to reaccommodate customers impacted by cancellations at YYZ today. No additional operational changes are scheduled for Tuesday; however, customers should continue to monitor the status of their flight via the Fly Delta app.
"For the most current official information regarding Endeavor Flight 4819, visit news.delta.com and @DeltaNewsHub on X."
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has deployed a team of investigators, with assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, in line with global aviation standards.
While planes flipping over upon landing is rare, history has seen similar incidents. McDonnell Douglas MD-11 models have been involved in three such accidents, including a fatal 2009 FedEx crash in Tokyo and a 1999 China Airlines crash in Hong Kong.