Delta Air Lines Plane Crashes on Toronto Runway
Overview
On Monday, February 17, a Delta Air Lines plane skidded off the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport, burst into flames, and flipped over. The flight was operated by Endeavor Air using a Bombardier CRJ900 and was traveling from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Toronto, Canada, with 76 passengers and four crew members on board.
Despite the intense fire and thick black smoke that engulfed the aircraft upon landing, all 80 people on board miraculously escaped without fatalities. Twenty-one individuals sustained injuries in the accident, but only two remained hospitalized as of Tuesday, and their "lives are not in danger," stated Deborah Flint, CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA).
Investigation
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), assisted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a team from Delta, is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash. According to a TSB spokesperson, both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder have been recovered and sent to a laboratory for analysis.
"It’s far too early to say what caused the accident," the spokesperson emphasized.
Weather Conditions
As noted by Flint, Toronto has experienced extreme weather conditions in recent days, with two snowstorms dumping over 50 centimeters of snow since Thursday. This is an unusual amount of snowfall for this time of year, exceeding the total snowfall recorded throughout last winter.
Witness Accounts and Footage
A video posted on social media and verified by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) captures the moment the Delta aircraft impacts the ground, as viewed from the cockpit of another airliner waiting on the runway.
Passengers also shared their harrowing experiences and images on social media. They recounted the sudden impact and rapid翻转 of the plane, followed by their evacuation onto the runway as the aircraft lay overturned.
Heroic Efforts of Flight Crew
Flint praised the heroic actions of the flight crew, who "performed their duties under extremely stressful and rapidly evolving conditions." She emphasized that the crew successfully evacuated passengers from an aircraft that had rolled over on the runway, surrounded by smoke and flames.
Injuries and Medical Attention
Cory Tkatch, Deputy Fire Chief for Peel Region, reported that the injured passengers primarily suffered from back and head injuries, while some also experienced headaches and nausea due to fuel exposure.
Additional North American Aviation Accidents
The Toronto accident follows a series of recent aviation incidents in North America. In late January, a military helicopter collided with an airliner near Washington, D.C., resulting in the tragic loss of 67 lives. Days later, seven people died in the crash of a medical transport plane in Philadelphia.
