Delta Air Lines plane flips upside down upon landing at Toronto airport on 17 Feb
On Monday (17 Feb), a Delta Air Lines plane flipped upside down upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The plane departed from Minneapolis with 76 passengers and four crew members on board.
It crashed amid strong winds following a snowstorm.
Fire chief Todd Aitken claimed that despite strong winds, the runway was dry and there were no cross-wind conditions.
The cause of the crash remains unclear as Canadian authorities investigate the incident.
Source: Facebook
Delta plane crash leaves 18 casualties including a child
All 80 people on board were evacuated following the incident.
According to Delta Air Line’s statement, 18 passengers sustained injuries and were conveyed to nearby hospitals.
Of those injured, three sustained crucial injuries, reported Channel NewsAsia.
There were also reports that a child was among the 18 injured passengers.
Passengers were hanging upside down ‘like bats’
Pete Koukov, a passenger onboard the affected plane, posted a video on Instagram documenting the evacuation process.
Source: Instagram
He told CNN that the passengers “were upside down hanging like bats” when the plane crashed.
Fortunately, he managed to unbuckle himself and walk out of the plane.
“Just feeling lucky and happy I got to give the person I didn’t know sitting next to me a big hug,” he said.
Another passenger named John Nelson uploaded a video on Facebook showing the aftermath of the crash.
It showed a fire engine dousing the flipped plane on the snow-covered tarmac.
Source: Instagram
He told CNN that he wasn’t aware of anything wrong with the plane, calling it a “typical flight”.
“When we hit, it was just super hard — it hit the ground, and the plane went sideways,” Mr Nelson stated, adding there was a “big fireball” on the left side of the plane.
Incident led to flight delays & diversions
The Toronto airport was shut down for over two hours following the incident.
The incident resulted in ground delays and diversions to other airports.
According to the CEO of Toronto Airport Deborah Flint, two runways will remain closed for several days while investigations are ongoing.
Ms Flint also credited first responders and other trained personnel for their professional response:
There was no loss of life and this is in due part to our heroic and trained professionals, our first responders at the airport
Source: Reuters
Also read: Medical plane crashes into neighbourhood in US, 6 passengers feared dead
Medical plane crashes into neighbourhood in US, 6 passengers feared dead
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
