A dramatic scene unfolded at Canada's busiest airport as a Delta Air Lines plane carrying 80 people crashed during landing.
According to Fox News, Delta Connection flight 4819 flipped upside down at Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday afternoon, resulting in at least 18 injuries, including three critical cases.
The CRJ-900 jet, operated by Endeavor Air, encountered difficulties while attempting to land around 2:15 p.m. local time.
Four crew members and 76 passengers were aboard the aircraft that departed from Minneapolis. Emergency crews immediately responded to the snow-covered runway where the mangled aircraft came to rest.
Weather conditions at the time of the incident showed concerning patterns that likely affected the landing. Air traffic control recordings revealed wind speeds of 20-30 mph with gusts reaching up to 40 mph.
A helicopter pilot who witnessed the incident reported seeing the aircraft "upside down and burning" according to radio communications.
The three critically injured passengers included two adults who were airlifted to trauma centers and a four-year-old child who was transported to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Peel Regional Paramedic Services Superintendent Lawrence Saindon provided details about the injuries, stating:
Those three were critical, non-life-threatening injuries. The remaining ones are all walking wounded, with cuts and scrapes, nothing serious at all.
Toronto Pearson Airport temporarily suspended operations following the crash but resumed departures and arrivals by approximately 5 p.m. The airport confirmed all passengers and crew were accounted for after the incident.
The Toronto crash adds to a series of recent aviation disasters that have occurred globally. A military Black Hawk helicopter collision with an American Airlines-affiliated commercial flight near Washington, D.C. in late January resulted in 67 fatalities.
International incidents included a Jeju Air crash in South Korea that killed 179 people and an Azerbaijan Airlines accident in Kazakhstan on Christmas that left 38 dead and 29 injured.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the incident on social media, announcing that FAA investigators were en route to Toronto. He also mentioned reaching out to his Canadian counterpart to offer assistance with the investigation. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash.
The Delta Connection flight 4819 crash at Toronto Pearson Airport resulted in 18 injuries when the aircraft flipped during landing in challenging weather conditions on Monday afternoon.
The incident prompted an immediate response from emergency services and temporarily disrupted airport operations. While three passengers sustained critical injuries, most escaped with minor wounds. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, with support from U.S. officials, will investigate the factors that led to this dramatic landing at Canada's largest airport.
