A shocking video captures the Delta plane crashing into the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport. A potential clue might indicate the reason behind this near catastrophe.
An aviation specialist shared with The Sun different possibilities that could explain the alarming crash, emphasizing the miraculous survival of all passengers and crew.
The official reason currently remains unknown, with all the black box data from Bombardier CRJ900 yet to be recovered and decoded.
The distressing footage documents the plane’s journey from Minneapolis with 80 individuals aboard, showcasing the critical moment when the aircraft slides along the tarmac before bursting into flames.
The body of the aircraft appears to be completely engulfed in fire as it’s captured flipping several times before the bright-orange blaze changes to plumes of thick black smoke.
From analysing the clearest clips captured of the smash, aviation security expert Julian Bray believes the plane was travelling “rather fast” onto the runway.
He told The Sun that this, partnered with “terrible weather conditions,” may have have caused the aircraft’s right wing to catch the surface and smash into the runway.
Mr Bray said: “There might have been a gust of wind that would just cause it to [tip], and at that point, the point of impact, the wing got caught, the wing got ripped off, and possibly, the fuel tanks are in the wings that ruptured.
“And that would have caused a fire. The engines on this particular aircraft are at the rear.
“The MD-80’s all have their engines at the rear, and so it meant the fire, when it happened around the engine area, was contained there.
“It’s been described as an emergency landing, so we need to find out what the emergency was.”
Snow blown by winds gusting to 40 mph swirled when the flight attempted to land at around 2.15pm.
Despite this, Mr Bray explained that airport authorities “claimed the runway was clear and there was no wind at the time”.
Mr Bray added: “There’s probably some ice on the runway. I could see a dusting of snow from the videos, so obviously they had cleared the runway, but if the snow is falling and it’s quite rapid.
“Now, let’s face it, they know about these conditions because they work in these conditions all the time – it’s just unfortunate.
“I think that you had possibly wind shear or wind gusts, and it’s tended to flip this plane over a bit.
But until the black boxes are recovered, it’s unknown whether a “quick gust” did do something or whether there was a “mechanical function that’s gone wrong”.
The aviation expert said: “ The point is, why did the wing come into contact with the runway?
“That’s the one crucial thing we have to understand, because everything else will then follow in a sequence after that.”
In another clip, passengers can be seen crawling out of the plane traveling from Minneapolis.
Dramatic footage from inside the jet showed passengers scrambling to escape as a crew member shouted: “Everything, drop it. Come on!”
Another clip taken by a terrified passenger shows the chaotic aftermath of the crash.
The panicked woman can be seen inside the dark fuselage of the aircraft crying: “My plane crashed, I’m upside down”.
Officials confirmed 21 people were treated for injuries and two were airlifted to trauma centers for critical but non-life-threatening injuries which Mr Bray has dubbed “pretty amazing” considering the circumstances.
The aviation expert said: “You’d have all your passengers strapped into their seats, hanging upside down in the cabin.
“That must have been terrible. So the cabin crew, literally standing on the roof of the aircraft, would then have to go along and physically undo each safety belt and lower the people to the ground.”
As investigators scramble to determine what caused the horrific crash, Mr Bray stressed the importance of getting “the full facts” of every incident involving aircrafts.
He added that it’s essential in any crash that “nothing is hidden” to make it “safer for us to fly in the future”.
Smoke surrounded the jet in the aftermath of the terrifying scene.
A passenger named John Nelson shared a video from the scary scene on Facebook on Monday.
“We just landed,” he said in a video showing the aircraft upside down.
“Our plane crashed, it’s upside down. The fire department is on site.
“Most people appear to be okay. We’re all getting off, [there’s] some smoke going on.”
Fellow passenger Peter Koukov told CNN that they were “upside down hanging like bats” in the horror crash.
The fire department was shown spraying fire retardant on the plane.
“Several customers with injuries were transported to area hospitals. Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted,” Delta initially said in a statement to The U.S. Sun.
Toronto Pearson’s statement
Toronto Pearson International Airport shared the following statement after a Delta plane flipped upside down on their runway.
“Toronto Pearson is aware of an incident upon landing involving a Delta Airlines plane arriving from Minneapolis,” the airport said.
“Emergency teams are responding.
“All passengers and crew are accounted for.”
Source: X
The airline confirmed the Toronto airport, YYZ, was closed “shortly after the incident occurred.”
“Delta is working to connect with customers traveling from, to or through YYZ who should also monitor the status of their flight via the Fly Delta app.”
CHILLING AUDIO
A medical helicopter in the air near the Toronto airport described the scene in audio obtained from the moments after the crash.
“LifeFlight 1, Medevac, just so you are aware there are people outside walking around the aircraft there,” an air traffic controller worker told the helicopter pilot, according to LiveATC audio obtained by CNN.
“Yeah, we’ve got it. The aircraft is upside down and burning,” the helicopter pilot replied.
The Federal Aviation Administration shared a statement noting the airplane departed from the St. Paul International Airport on Monday.
“Delta Air Lines Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, crashed while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada around 2:45 p.m. local time,” the FAA told The U.S. Sun.
“All 80 people on board were evacuated.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is helping the Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigate the crash.
AIRPORT AFTERMATH
The FAA ordered all runways to be closed at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
As of 4:15 pm, 237 flights were canceled at the airport, according to FlightRadar24.
Delta’s statement
Delta shared the following statement with The U.S. Sun:
“Delta Connection flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air using a CRJ900 aircraft, was involved in a single-aircraft accident at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) around 3:30p ET on Monday. The flight originated from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP).
Initial reports were that there are no fatalities. Several customers with injuries were transported to area hospitals. Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted.
The flight was carrying a total of 80 people – 76 passengers and four crew.
YYZ was closed shortly after the incident occurred. Delta is working to connect with customers traveling from, to or through YYZ who should also monitor the status of their flight via the Fly Delta app.
Endeavor Air is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines headquartered in Minneapolis.
Delta will provide updates at news.delta.com.
Some diverted flights are heading to Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Quebec, which is about 315 miles northeast of the Toronto hub, the Quebec airport confirmed on X.
The Quebec airport, YUL wrote that the airport was “preparing to receive several diversion flights.”
“Our teams are already in action to welcome them,” YUL wrote.
“However, given the large number of passengers at YUL, please note that the situation may cause delays at various points along the passenger process.”
RUNWAY CLEANUP
Toronto has suffered back-to-back storms this winter, with local officials saying it could take as long as three weeks to clear snow across the city, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Hours before the crash, the Toronto airport posted a picture on X of the cleared runway after this weekend’s snowy weather.
“Here’s a look at part of our airfield this morning as the clean-up continues from this weekend’s storm,” the airport shared.
“Our crews worked all weekend to keep the roughly 5 million square meters of airfield clear of snow to keep planes arriving and departing safely.”
