Delta Plane Crashes in Toronto, 18 Injured
A Delta Air Lines jet carrying 80 people crash-landed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Monday, flipping upside down and leaving at least 18 people injured. Miraculously, there were no fatalities.
The plane, operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air, was flying from Minneapolis when it crashed while landing in Toronto. The cause of the accident is still unknown, and investigators have been deployed to the scene.
“It’s very early on. It’s really important that we do not speculate,” said Todd Aitken, the airport’s fire chief. “What we can say is the runway was dry and there was no crosswind conditions.”
Eighteen people were injured in the crash, with three critically injured, including a child, a man in his 60s, and a woman in her 40s. All the wounded were taken to area hospitals.
Dramatic images showed people stumbling away from the upside-down plane, shielding their faces from strong gusts of wind and blowing snow. Fire crews doused the aircraft with water as smoke wafted from the fuselage.
“The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport,” said Delta chief executive Ed Bastian.
The airport suspended all flights after the incident but resumed them over two hours later. Passengers were warned to expect long delays.
A team of investigators from Canada’s Transportation Safety Board has been deployed to the scene, assisted by the US Federal Aviation Administration.
The incident comes after other recent air incidents in North America, including a mid-air collision between a US Army helicopter and a passenger jet in Washington, and a medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia.