80 Passengers Escape Death as Delta Airlines Plane Crash-Lands in Canada

A Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis narrowly avoided disaster on Monday afternoon after a dramatic crash-landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The plane, Delta Flight 4819, a CRJ900 aircraft operated by Endeavor Air, overturned on the runway, leaving 18 of the 80 passengers aboard injured. However, all passengers and crew members survived the harrowing incident.

The plane was cleared to land amidst snow and strong winds, but shortly before touching down, it descended heavily. The rear landing gear buckled on impact, and the right wing sheared off in a fireball. The fuselage then rolled over, leaving the aircraft upside down on the slick tarmac.

Despite the severity of the crash, all 80 passengers and crew survived. Eighteen people were injured, including a child, who was later reported to be in stable condition.

“We are very grateful there was no loss of life and relatively minor injuries,” said Deborah Flint, CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, in a statement.

Video footage of the incident, captured by CNN, shows the aftermath of the crash, with fire crews rushing to extinguish flames engulfing the aircraft. Passengers were trapped upside down as the plane skidded along the runway.

Passenger John Nelson described the chaos, saying, “When we got finished, I was upside down, everybody else was there as well. We tried to get out of there as quickly as possible.” Nelson, along with fellow passengers, unbuckled and managed to escape the plane, just as an explosion rattled the scene. “Luckily the firefighters got out of there,” he added.

Fellow passenger Peter Koukov recalled the disorienting aftermath: “We were upside down, hanging like bats.” Koukov was able to unbuckle and stand on the plane’s ceiling, while others required assistance to exit. “It was cement and metal. The initial feeling was just needing to get out of this,” he explained.

In the midst of panic, passengers worked together to assist one another. “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,” said Peter Carlson, another passenger. “That was powerful, but there was definite: ‘What now? Who is leading? How do we find ourselves away from this?’”

Firefighters quickly arrived on the scene, using fire retardant foam to extinguish the wreckage while first responders helped evacuees jump from the overturned aircraft. Dramatic images of passengers fleeing the aircraft in the cold Toronto wind highlighted the desperate need to survive.

The crash temporarily shut down all five runways at Toronto Pearson International and forced several flight diversions. Canadian and American investigators are working together to determine the cause of the incident. Meanwhile, the airport is working to recover from the disruptions caused by the crash.