19 injured after Delta plane crashes, flips, catches fire at Toronto airport: officials
Video shows Delta plane upside-down on tarmac
TORONTO -- There were several injuries after a Delta Air Lines flight from Minnesota crashed and caught fire upon landing in Canada Monday, local police said.
Delta Air Lines Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, crashed while landing at a snowy Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada around 2:15 p.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a preliminary statement.
The CRJ-900 departed Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, the FAA said.
"Toronto Pearson (airport) is aware of an incident upon landing involving a Delta Airlines plane arriving from Minneapolis. Emergency teams are responding. All passengers and crew are accounted for," a post on X from the airport said just before 3 p.m. ET.
Nineteen people were taken to area hospitals, Delta said.
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Two people were airlifted to Toronto trauma centers and one pediatric patient was taken to a children's hospital.
The pediatric patient, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s suffered critical injuries, local health officials said.
At this time, none of the injuries are considered to be life-threatening, Peel Regional Paramedic Services said.
Officials said others suffered moderate to mild injuries.
Video of the scene showed a Delta plane upside-down.
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Sources said about 3:40 p.m. ET all 80 people had evacuated from the plane.
There were 76 passengers and four crew members, Delta said in a statement.
Toronto Pearson's president said during a news conference Monday evening that among those 76 passengers, 22 were Canadian, and the other passengers were multinational.
What caused the plane to flip and catch fire was not immediately clear, but the investigation is already underway, the sources said.
Aviation officials say the plane appears to have rolled, snapping the wings off in the process.
That, a former pilot says, likely prevented an explosion because most of the fuel is stored in the wings.
Delta called the incident "a single-aircraft accident."
The Toronto airport fire chief said the runway was dry at the time of the crash, and there were no cross-wind conditions.
At this point, there do not appear to be any fatalities, said Peel Regional Police, whose jurisdiction includes Pearson Airport.
Toronto Pearson President and CEO Deborah Flint commended the emergency response.
"There was no loss of life, and this is in due part to our heroic and trained professionals, our first responders at the airport," Flint said during a press briefing Monday evening.
Passenger John Nelson described hanging buckled into his seat upside-down after the crash.
Some flights were leaving and diverting from Toronto Pearson about 5:30 p.m. ET.
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Delta has canceled its flights to and from YYZ for the remainder of the evening, and has issued a travel waiver. Delta is working to connect with customers whose flights have been impacted. Customers should also monitor the status of their flight via the Fly Delta app, Delta said.
Endeavor Air is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines headquartered in Minneapolis, Delta said.
The Canadian Regional Jet with two by two seating is the very same type of plane that collided with a helicopter near a Washington, D.C. airport on Jan. 29.
This is at least the fifth major aviation incident in the last three weeks.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will be in charge of the investigation and will provide any updates, the FAA said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading a team of U.S. investigators to assist.
A winter weather travel advisory was in effect for the Toronto area on Monday, with more snow on the way, Environment Canada told Storyful.
Environment Canada said lake-effect snow squalls off Lake Huron were expected to continue into Monday night, bringing additional snow amounts of 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) and winds gusting up to 60 km/h (37 mph).
Toronto Pearson is the largest and busiest airport in Canada.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement, "I'm in touch with Delta after a flight taking off from MSP crash landed in Toronto this afternoon. Grateful to the first responders and professionals on the scene."
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement, "The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today's incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport. I want to express my thanks to the many Delta and Endeavor team members and the first responders on site. We are working to confirm the details and will share the most current information on news.delta.com as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, please take care and stay safe."
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on social media, "I've been in touch with my counterpart in Canada to offer assistance and help with the investigation."
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow wrote on social media, "I'm relieved to learn that all passengers and crew are accounted for after today's plane crash at Toronto Pearson. Thank you to the first responders, crew and airport staff for their quick actions and commitment to keeping everyone safe."
Delta has activated its Passenger Inquiry Center for family and loved ones of customers involved in the incident, so they can connect with Delta for more information.
In Canada, these individuals can call 1-866-629-4775. In the United States, they can call 1-800-997-5454.
ABC News contributed to this report.
This is a developing story; check back for details.
