Delta Plane Flips Upside Down Upon Landing in Canada; All 80 Passengers Survive
Delta Jet Flips Upside Down on Landing in Canada; 18 Injured, No Fatalities
A Delta Air Lines jet carrying 80 people flipped upside down while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, one of Canada’s busiest hubs, on Monday afternoon. Despite the dramatic crash, all passengers and crew survived, though at least 18 people sustained injuries.
The CRJ-900 aircraft, arriving from Minneapolis, overturned upon landing at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time (20:30 GMT). Emergency crews responded swiftly, ensuring all 76 passengers and four crew members were evacuated safely.
Deborah Flint, CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, confirmed that while injuries were reported, none were life-threatening.
“Seventeen injured passengers were transported to local hospitals, but we are not aware of any critical cases,” Flint stated during a press conference. Later, airport officials confirmed that an 18th person had also been taken to the hospital.
Ornge, an air ambulance service, had earlier reported that a child, a man in his 60s, and a woman in her 40s had suffered critical injuries. The discrepancy in reports regarding injury severity was not immediately clarified.
Footage circulating on social media showed passengers emerging from the overturned aircraft amid strong winds and falling snow. One traveler, John Nelson, captured the aftermath in a cellphone video.
“We just landed. Our plane crashed. It’s upside down,” he said in the clip. “Most people appear to be OK.”
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the crash, but the accident coincided with severe winter weather in Toronto. The city had been hit by consecutive snowstorms, with over 22 cm (8.7 inches) of snowfall at the airport over the weekend.
Both the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the Peel Regional Police have launched investigations into the incident. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also dispatching a team to assist.
The Association of Flight Attendants cautioned against speculation regarding the cause, emphasizing the importance of a thorough investigation.
This marks the fourth aviation accident in North America in less than a month. The most severe occurred near Washington, D.C., where a midair collision between a commercial airliner and a U.S. Army helicopter claimed 67 lives.
The crash also comes amid turbulence in the U.S. aviation industry, with mass layoffs at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Critics, including the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, warn that staffing cuts are straining an already overburdened workforce.
Investigators will now work to determine whether weather conditions, mechanical failure, or human error played a role in the Delta jet’s unusual and harrowing landing.
