Delta jet flips upside down on a snowy Toronto runway and all 80 aboard survive

A Delta Air Lines aircraft overturned during its landing at Toronto’s Pearson Airport on Monday, resulting in no fatalities and 17 individuals sustaining injuries, according to the airport’s chief executive.

The incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. as the flight from Minneapolis, which had 76 passengers and four crew members, attempted to land amid snow being driven by winds reaching 40 mph (65 kph). Communication between the control tower and the pilot was reported to be normal during the approach, leaving the cause of the accident unclear upon touchdown.

Canadian officials conducted two brief press conferences but did not disclose specific details regarding the incident. Social media footage captured the aftermath, showing the Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR on its side, with the fuselage appearing intact as firefighters extinguished the remaining flames while passengers evacuated and walked across the tarmac.

Deborah Flint, CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, expressed gratitude that there were no fatalities and that the injuries were relatively minor. Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken reported that 18 passengers were transported to local hospitals. Earlier, Ornge air ambulance confirmed the transfer of one pediatric patient to Toronto’s SickKids hospital and two injured adults to other medical facilities in the city.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene within minutes, and Aitken noted that the response proceeded as planned, emphasizing that the runway conditions were dry and there were no crosswinds present. This incident marks the fourth significant aviation accident in North America within the last three weeks, following a collision between a commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., which resulted in 67 fatalities, a medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia that killed six individuals, and another plane crash on February 6 that claimed 10 lives.
The most significant incident at Pearson International Airport occurred on August 2, 2005, when an Airbus A340, arriving from Paris, skidded off the runway and ignited due to adverse weather conditions. Fortunately, all 309 individuals on board Air France Flight 358 survived the incident.

On the recent Monday, Pearson was affected by blowing snow and winds reaching 32 mph (51 kph), with gusts up to 40 mph (65 kph), as reported by the Meteorological Service of Canada. The temperature was approximately 16.5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8.6 degrees Celsius).

The Delta flight received clearance to land around 2:10 p.m. Audio recordings indicate that the control tower alerted the pilots about a potential air flow “bump” during their approach.

“It appears that the controller was attempting to provide assistance, indicating that the wind conditions would result in a turbulent descent, causing fluctuations in the glide path,” stated John Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems, an aviation safety consulting firm based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

“Indeed, it was windy. However, aircraft are engineered and certified to withstand such conditions,” Cox emphasized. “The pilots possess the necessary training and experience to manage these situations effectively.”

The aircraft came to a halt at the intersection of Runways 23 and 15L, close to the beginning of the runway. Shortly after the incident, tower controllers communicated with the crew of a medical helicopter that had just departed from Pearson and was returning to assist.

“Just so you’re aware, there are individuals outside moving around the aircraft,” a controller informed.

“Understood. The aircraft is inverted and on fire,” the medical helicopter pilot replied.

Cox, who has a 25-year tenure with U.S. Air and has participated in investigations by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, remarked that the CRJ-900 is a reliable aircraft that has been operational for many years and is adept at managing adverse weather conditions.
It was noted that it is uncommon for an aircraft to be found resting on its back.

“We have encountered a few instances of aircraft becoming inverted during takeoff, but such occurrences are quite rare,” stated Cox.

Cox emphasized that one of the critical inquiries to be addressed is the reason behind the absence of the right wing on the crashed aircraft.

“When one wing is absent, the aircraft is likely to roll over,” he explained. “These will be pivotal questions regarding the fate of the wing, as well as the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. They will be located, whether today or tomorrow, and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada will analyze them, providing a comprehensive understanding of the events that transpired.”

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada would lead the investigation and offer updates as they become available. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the U.S. indicated that it is coordinating a team to support the Canadian investigation.

Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, expressed in a statement that “the thoughts of the entire global Delta family are with those impacted by today’s incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz mentioned that he has been in communication with Delta regarding the crash.

Endeavor Air, headquartered in Minneapolis, operates as a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines and is recognized as the largest operator of CRJ-900 aircraft globally. The airline manages a fleet of 130 regional jets, conducting 700 daily flights to over 126 destinations across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, as detailed on the company’s website.

The CRJ-900, a widely used regional jet, was designed by the Canadian aerospace firm Bombardier. It belongs to the same family of aircraft as the CRJ-700, which was involved in a midair collision near Reagan National Airport on January 29.
Casey provided a report from Concord, New Hampshire. Contributions to this report were made by Associated Press journalists Michael Sisak in New York, Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, Alex Veiga in Los Angeles, and Jim Morris in Vancouver, British Columbia.

This story is still unfolding. Please return for updates as additional information is released.