A Delta Airlines jet flipped upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, injuring 17 people but causing no fatalities, airport officials confirmed.
The Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR, arriving from Minneapolis, overturned on the snowy tarmac around 2:15 p.m. local time. Video from the scene showed the aircraft upside down as emergency crews worked to control the situation.
“All passengers and crew are accounted for,” the airport said in a post on X. The flight carried 76 passengers and four crew members.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed relief on social media, stating, “Provincial officials are in contact with the airport and local authorities and will provide any help that’s needed.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has launched an investigation, with support from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that Canadian authorities would lead the probe.
Investigators are examining multiple factors, including the aircraft’s missing right wing, which could have contributed to its overturning. Aviation safety expert John Cox noted, “If one wing is missing, it’s going to have a tendency to roll over.”
The flight had been cleared to land minutes before the crash, with air traffic controllers warning of turbulence due to strong winds. According to the Meteorological Service of Canada, wind speeds at the time ranged from 32 mph (51 kph) to gusts of 40 mph (65 kph), with blowing snow.
Despite the harsh weather, Cox emphasized that the CRJ-900 is a well-established aircraft designed to handle such conditions. “The pilots are trained and experienced to manage that,” he said.
Emergency responders transported one pediatric patient to Toronto’s SickKids hospital and two injured adults to other medical facilities. The airport temporarily grounded flights for approximately two and a half hours, and two runways remain closed for the investigation.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian issued a statement saying, “The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident.”
This crash marks at least the fourth major aviation mishap in North America in the past month. Notably, a commercial jetliner and a U.S. Army helicopter collided near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, killing 67 people. A separate medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia on Jan. 31 claimed seven lives, and another plane crash in Alaska killed 10.
The last major accident at Toronto Pearson occurred in 2005, when an Air France Airbus A340 skidded off the runway and caught fire. All 309 passengers and crew survived.
Investigators expect to recover the flight data and cockpit voice recorders soon, which will provide crucial insights into the cause of the crash.
