'We were hanging upside down like bats': Passengers recount Delta jet crash in Toronto

A Delta airplane crashed at Toronto's Pearson airport, flipping upside down during landing, injuring seventeen people, with three in critical condition. Runways are closed until Tuesday for investigation. Emergency services responded swiftly, confirming all passengers and crew survived the incident involving Flight 4819.
'We were hanging upside down like bats': Passengers recount Delta jet crash in Toronto
Photo/Agencies
A Delta airplane carrying 76 passengers and 4 crew members crashed, flipped on its back and made a dramatic landing at the snowy runway of the Toronto's Pearson airport Monday afternoon (local time).
The aircraft accident resulted in seventeen people sustaining injuries, with three individuals - including one child - being severely wounded. Miraculously all the passengers and crew members survived the incident, according to reports.
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According to Ornge Air Ambulance, Ontario's air ambulance provider, three patients were transported to Toronto hospitals in critical condition: a child was taken to the Hospital for Sick Children, whilst a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s were moved to other medical facilities in the city.
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A footage captured by a survivor of the accident revealed a female passenger suspended upside down in her seat after the plane had overturned.
"My plane crashed I'm upside down," she wrote alongside the recording.

The video then showed frightened travellers scrambling to exit the aircraft while making their way to safety. "I was just in a plane crash, oh my god," the distressed passenger remarked.
Another passenger compared the incident to hanging like bats. Pete Koukov told CNN, “We hit the ground, and we were sideways, and then we were upside down hanging like bats.”
“Just feeling lucky and happy I got to give the person I didn’t know sitting next to me a big hug, that we were OK, and see my friends who are here to pick me up from the airport and give them a big hug,” he added.
Runways at Pearson airport resumed after being closed for a brief period of time, as per a notice issued to aviation officials.

The airport confirmed via X at approximately 3 pm (local time) that all passengers and crew have been located.

The incident involved a Minneapolis-originating flight arriving Monday afternoon. Of the approximately 80 passengers and crew, most remained uninjured, as confirmed by a Peel Region paramedic superintendent.
Earlier Monday, the airport had anticipated high traffic volumes, with expectations of 130,000 travellers on roughly 1,000 flights, following weekend disruptions caused by 22 centimetres of snowfall.
Survivor describes Toronto plane crash

Emergency vehicles surround the overturned aircraft on the snowy runway, with an Air Canada hangar visible against the blue sky.
Delta Air Lines confirmed the incident involving flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, in a Monday afternoon update, emphasising their focus on passenger care.

Transport minister Anita Anand acknowledged the "serious incident" on X, while the Transportation Board of Canada dispatched investigators.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow expressed relief about the passenger and crew accountability on X, commending first responders and airport personnel for their swift response.
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