Off The Record
Eighty People Are On Board In The Delta Plane That Crashed And Flipped Over At Toronto Airport
Following a Delta Air Lines airplane crash during landing at a major international airport, rescue crews evacuated passengers. The chaotic situation was captured on video.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that on Monday, February 17, at around 2:45 p.m. local time, Delta Air Lines Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and crashed during the landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Upon collision, the airplane carrying 80 people overturned.
The mayhem was captured on camera at the site. While others assisted them in reaching safety, passengers clambered through emergency exits. A flight attendant led passengers past the debris, and seats inside were moved.
Debris was all over the snow-covered ground as the plane’s body was ripped open. As everybody hurried to get out of the plane, smoke was observed exploding from it.
According to the FAA, all passengers and crew members were evacuated as emergency personnel acted swiftly.
According to a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Delta acknowledged the collision and stated that 18 people were hurt and sent to nearby hospitals. There have been no reported fatalities.
The airline said that helping individuals impacted is its first priority and that it has opened a Passenger Inquiry Center for families looking for information. For queries in the US and Canada, it offered phone numbers.
“In Canada, these individuals may reach out via 1-866-629-4775. In the United States, they may connect using 1-800-997-5454,” the statement read.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed concern for those involved, “The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport.” He also thanked first responders and Delta staff assisting at the scene.
There were four crew members and 76 passengers on the trip. After the crash, Delta offered affected passengers a travel waiver and suspended all flights to and from Toronto Pearson for the rest of the evening. Customers were advised by the airline to use the Fly Delta app to monitor the status of their flights.
The plane was flown by Endeavor Air, a Minneapolis-based Delta Air Lines subsidiary that is fully owned. As the inquiry progresses, Delta has promised to provide more updates.
The seconds following the incident were captured in recently leaked air traffic control recordings that CP24 provided. “Where’s the crash?” a controller asks in the recording. It landed on Runway 23R close to Runway 15L, according to the response.
Following the Delta Air Lines crash, the crew of a nearby medevac helicopter was heard speaking with air traffic control on a recording. A pilot claimed to have seen persons in the vicinity of the plane. Additionally, the audio verified that the aircraft was “upside down and burning.”
As investigators determine the cause, aviation expert John Cox emphasized how rare such incidents are. “It’s very rare to see something like this,” said Cox, CEO of aviation safety consulting firm Safety Operating Systems. He noted that while there have been a few cases of airplanes overturning during takeoff, such events remain uncommon.
Cox, a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force with experience in National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigations, highlighted the dependability of the CRJ-900. The aircraft has been in use for decades and is designed to withstand harsh weather conditions, he said.
While acknowledging the windy conditions at the time, the veteran pilot explained that the aircraft was “designed and certified” to operate safely in such environments. He also added, “The pilots are trained and experienced to handle that.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is in charge of the inquiry and will give updates, according to the FAA. According to reports, a crew from the U.S. NTSB will join the Canadian probe.
The latest significant incident at Toronto Pearson International Airport occurred on August 2, 2005, when a Paris-based Air France Airbus A340 went off the runway during severe conditions and caught fire, according to AP. The crew and all 309 passengers made it out alive.
This year’s aviation catastrophes weren’t limited to the Toronto Delta incident. Only a week prior, a plane in Arizona struck a parked plane, causing injuries.
The FAA reports that on Monday afternoon, February 10, a Learjet 35A drove off the runway and collided with a parked Gulfstream 200 business jet at Scottsdale Airport.
Five persons were involved, according to Scottsdale Fire Captain Dave Folio, who was quoted by Fox 10 Phoenix. One person passed away, two were seriously hurt and transported to a trauma hospital, one had non-life-threatening injuries, and one refused medical assistance.
According to the FAA, the collision happened at approximately 2:45 p.m., which led to the airport temporarily suspending operations. The airport announced the accident occurred upon arrival at runway 21 on X (previously Twitter) at 2:50 p.m.
The parked Gulfstream 200 was struck on private land, according to officials. Police, firefighters, and FAA investigators were among the emergency personnel who arrived on the scene.
Spokesperson Kelli Kuester explained the likely cause of the crash, “It appears that the left main gear failed upon landing resulting in the accident.” As a result, the runway remains closed, according to Scottsdale Airport’s official X page.
Concerns have also been raised regarding who owns the airplane. Mötley Crüe vocalist Vince Neil’s agent, Worrick Robinson, informed CNN that Neil was not on the flight that collided with the other plane, but he owned it.
The aircraft is registered to Chromed in Hollywood, a business connected to the rock musician, according to TMZ.
Rain, Neil’s girlfriend, and Ashley, her friend, were traveling with him when Neil was not. Rain suffered five broken ribs, and both were taken to the hospital immediately. The impact did not harm the dogs that accompanied them.
In addition to expressing gratitude that Rain and Ashley are unharmed, Mötley Crüe manager Allen Kovac confirmed that Neil was safe and offered his sympathies to the relatives of the victims. The band is thinking of ways to help those impacted by the tragedy, he continued.
Meanwhile, the airport management has released a statement on X, acknowledging the incident. “Our thoughts are with everyone that has been impacted by this tragic event,” the statement read.
The tragic incident coincides with a series of recent aviation tragedies, such as a medical plane crash in Philadelphia that claimed seven lives and a midair collision between an American Airlines passenger airplane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., that claimed 67 lives.
Furthermore, it was later revealed that a tiny plane that vanished over the Bering Sea in Alaska had also crashed. After a thorough search, the ten-person Cessna 208B Grand Caravan was located close to Nome.
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