It was a miracle.
A Delta Air Lines plane flipped over while landing at Toronto’s Pearson Airport on Monday, but fortunately, all 80 people onboard survived with only minor injuries. The aircraft, carrying 76 passengers and four crew members from Minneapolis, landed around 2:15 p.m. in snowy, windy conditions, with gusts reaching 40 mph. While communication between the pilot and control tower seemed normal, the landing quickly went awry, resulting in the aircraft overturning. Passenger Peter Carlson, en route to a paramedics conference, described the landing as “forceful,” recalling how the plane flipped and left him upside down in his seat.
Although details about the crash remain scarce, video footage shared on social media shows the overturned CRJ-900LR plane, with firefighters extinguishing a small fire and passengers walking away from the wreckage. Deborah Flint, CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority, expressed gratitude that no lives were lost and injuries were relatively minor. Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, extended support to those affected. Eighteen passengers were transported to hospitals, including a pediatric patient flown to Toronto’s SickKids hospital.
Despite the challenging weather conditions with blowing snow, Pearson’s runway was reported to be dry, and there were no crosswinds. This incident marks the fourth major aviation accident in North America within three weeks, following other crashes, including a medical plane crash in Philadelphia and a fatal accident in Alaska.
Aviation expert John Cox, who has worked on numerous investigations, noted that it’s unusual for an aircraft like the CRJ-900 to end up inverted. He emphasized that more details are needed, particularly regarding the missing right wing, which could explain the plane’s tendency to roll over. Both Canadian and U.S. safety agencies, including the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, are involved in investigating the cause of the crash.
