Ontario, Canada: A Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis crash-landed and overturned while landing at Toronto Pearson Airport, leaving three passengers critically injured.
Despite the severity of the incident, all 80 people on board—76 passengers and four crew members—survived, according to Deborah Flint, CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.
Emergency responders transported 18 people to hospitals, including a child, a man in his 60s, and a woman in her 40s, who sustained critical injuries. Social media images show the aircraft flipped over on the snow-covered runway, missing at least one wing.
The aircraft, a CRJ900 operating as Delta Flight 4819 under Delta’s regional carrier Endeavor Air, crashed at approximately 14:15 ET (19:15 GMT)on, 17th Feb Monday. Ontario air ambulance service Ornge dispatched three helicopters and two land ambulances to assist at the scene.
Deborah Flint praised emergency responders for their swift actions, calling their response “textbook” and instrumental in preventing any fatalities.
Toronto Pearson briefly halted operations following the incident, resuming flights at 17:00 local time, though two runways will remain closed for several days as the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigates.
Despite initial reports of wind gusts exceeding 40 mph (64 km/h) and crosswind conditions, Toronto Pearson fire chief Todd Aitken stated that the runway was dry at the time of the crash.
Delta’s incident response team deployed to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) Monday evening to support efforts surrounding Delta Connection flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, that was involved in a single-aircraft accident at YYZ around 2:15 p.m. ET.
The team…
— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) February 18, 2025
Video footage shared online shows passengers evacuating the overturned plane, assisted by emergency personnel. One video captures a passenger saying, “Our plane crashed, it’s upside down,” as others clambered out. Fire crews sprayed the aircraft with foam to mitigate any fire risks.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz expressed their support for those affected, while Meta’s social media platforms were flooded with messages from concerned passengers and family members.
Toronto Pearson Airport has recently faced severe weather disruptions, with two snowstorms in the past week dumping between 30-50 cm (12-20 inches) of snow. Earlier on Monday, the airport had warned travelers about frigid temperatures and high winds affecting flights.
This crash marks at least the fourth major aviation incident in North America over the past month, including a mid-air collision near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. Many passengers affected by Monday’s crash are now stranded in Toronto due to widespread flight cancellations and delays.
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