On Monday, February 17, 2025, A Delta Air Lines plane la dead up si de down on a Toronto landing strip, miraculously leaving no casualties. Taking place at Toronto Pearson International Airport, the plane was seen bursting into flames before inexplicably flipping over. 21 people were injured, with two of the victims being critically hurt.
The flight, Delta Air Lines’ DL4819, involved a CRJ-900 model plane, carrying around 76 passengers and four crew members. The flight initially took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minnesota Monday morning, resulting in the plane to be operated by Minneapolis-based Delta Air Lines subsidiary Endeavor Air. The flight was reported as a normal passage – nothing to indicate the obstacle that was to come.
Arriving at the landing strip at around 1:15 PM CST, videos and images captured by air traffic controllers showed the fiery landing of the plane. The plane began to catch fire as it landed on the concrete and kept sliding across until both its tail and wings were torn off. Towards the end of the spectacle, the plane flipped upside, stopping the motion of the plane.
Following the incident, no causalities were reported. The crew onboard the plane, along with its cooperative passengers, managed to get everyone off the plane swiftly and safely. Investigators, however, were puzzled as to the cause of the crash. Marco Chan, a former pilot and a senior lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University in the UK, and Ismo Aaltonen, a plane crash investigator, both seemingly agreed that the cause of the rough landing probably was because of the unusually high rate of decent. Another possible explanation discussed was the fact that the landing started with only one wheel initially, which could’ve impacted the landing gear in general. “This could have led to the right wing hitting the runway and in turn causing the plane to roll.” explained Chan to BBC. Other officials credit the weather as another factor, with airport staff reporting that the runway was dry at the time of the plane’s arrival, although it was snowing heavily just hours before. Airport authorities announced that temperature drops and wind gusts were expected to come in, indefinitely impacting the landing.
Reactions concerning the crash have been nothing but thankfulness for both he wellbeing of the passengers and the quick-acting crew members that enforced that. Delta CEO ED Bastian commented on the crew and the entire situation, stating that “The reality is, safety is embedded into our system. … And yes, it’s amazing the work that our team did up at Endeavor, but that’s what we expect out of them because we are prepared for all types of circumstances.”
Regardless of the possible causes and different reactions about the crash, I believe it is safe to say that everyone can feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards this miraculous ending.
