A Delta plane carrying 76 passengers and 4 crew members crashed, flipped on its back, and made a spectacular landing onto the snow-covered runway of Pearson Airport in Toronto on Monday afternoon (local time).
Three passengers, including a toddler, suffered serious injuries in the airplane accident, which left seventeen people injured. All of the passengers and crew members somehow escaped the event.
Three critically ill patients were flown to Toronto hospitals, according to Ornge Air Ambulance, Ontario’s air ambulance provider: a lady in her 40s and a man in his 60s were transferred to various city hospitals, while a kid was sent to the Hospital for Sick Children.
A female passenger was seen hanging upside down in her seat after the plane overturned, according to video taken by an accident victim. “My plane crashed, I’m upside down,” she wrote alongside the recording.
The footage then showed terrified passengers rushing off of the plane and heading for safety. “I was just in a plane crash, oh my god,” said the distraught woman.
Another traveler likened the situation like bats dangling. “We hit the ground, and we were sideways, and then we were upside down hanging like bats,” said Pete Koukov
“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,” he added.
Following a brief closure, Pearson Airport runways reopened, according to a notification sent to aviation officials. At around 3 p.m. (local time), the airport verified by social media that all of the passengers and crew had been found.
The incident involves a flight arriving Monday afternoon from Minneapolis. According to a paramedic superintendent from the Peel Region, the majority of the roughly 80 passengers and crew were unharmed.
After weekend difficulties due to 22 centimeters of snowfall, the airport had expected strong traffic levels earlier Monday, with 130,000 passengers on about 1,000 flights.
On the snow-covered runway, an Air Canada hangar stands out against the blue sky as emergency vehicles round the downed plane.
In a Monday afternoon update, Delta Air Lines emphasized their commitment on passenger care while confirming the incident involving aircraft 4819, operated by Endeavor Air.
The Transportation Board of Canada sent investigators, and Transport Minister Anita Anand confirmed the “serious incident” on social media.
Olivia Chow, the Mayor of Toronto, praised first responders and airport staff for their prompt action and expressed relief over the passenger and crew accountability on social media.
