Travel
In a dramatic incident on Monday afternoon, a Delta Air Lines jet attempting to land at Toronto Pearson Airport crashed and flipped over on the tarmac, leaving at least 18 people injured. Despite the severity of the accident, all 80 passengers aboard Flight 4819 from Minneapolis were successfully evacuated.
The Bombardier CRJ900, operated by Endeavor Air, a Delta subsidiary, encountered strong winds and drifting snow during its landing. The plane crashed around 2:15 p.m., with reports initially suggesting a slightly later time. Photos and videos from the scene showed flames and black smoke billowing from the aircraft as passengers exited through the front and rear doors, walking away on the snow-covered tarmac while firefighters hosed down the plane.
Pete Koukov, a professional skier from Colorado who was on the flight, described the chaotic moments following the crash. "The second that the wheels hit the ground, then everything happened," he said. "The next thing I know, we’re sideways." Koukov, who was sitting in a window seat on the left side, witnessed the plane skid on its right side, seeing sparks and flames as it came to rest upside-down. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and lowered himself to what had become the ceiling, amidst panic from other passengers.
Among the injured, one person was airlifted to a trauma center with critical but non-life-threatening injuries, and a child was also in critical but non-life-threatening condition. The others were taken to hospitals with minor to moderate injuries. Notably, 22 of the passengers were Canadians.
The crash is expected to exacerbate aviation disruptions in Canada, as Toronto Pearson Airport was already dealing with delays and cancellations due to recent winter storms. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will lead the investigation, with assistance from American investigators.
Weather conditions at the time of the crash included strong winds from the west at about 29 miles per hour, with gusts reaching up to 38 miles per hour, and drifting snow, according to Environment Canada's weather service.
This incident adds to a series of recent aviation accidents, including a collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter over the Potomac River on January 29, and a small medical plane crash two days later that resulted in multiple fatalities.
Source:
Norimitsu Onishi, Remy Tumin, and Vjosa Isai, The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/17/world/delta-toronto-plane-crash#delta-toronto-plane-crash