A swift emergency response has been credited for no fatalities during the Delta plane crash at Toronto Pearson Airport earlier this week, with the airport’s CEO and investigators suggesting that the fact there were no fatalities says a lot about how the restraints worked, how the aircraft design worked and how rescue teams and cabin crew responded.
Dramatic footage has emerged showing the crash landing of Delta Air Lines Flight 4819, which was operated by Endeavor Air, at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week. The video footage shared by @airmainengineer on social media platform X captures the CRJ900 twin-jet descending with its landing gear down, before hitting the ground. The aircraft then tilts right with flames erupting from its rear end, as it skids along the snow-covered runway, shearing its right wing and tail before flipping over and coming to a halt upside down.
The flight, carrying 80 people (76 passengers and four crew), ended with no fatalities but there were injuries. One of the passengers, John Nelson, told CNN, “We hit the ground and the plane went sideways and I believe we skidded on our side and flipped over on our back… It was mass chaos… It’s an emotional roller coaster that you go through, but it’s things you hope you don’t see again.”
A statement from Delta on Tuesday confirmed that in total 21 injured passengers were initially transported to local hospitals, with 19 of them discharged by Tuesday morning.
Delta CEO, Ed Bastian, said: “Our most pressing priority remains taking care of all customers and Endeavor crew members who were involved. We’ll do everything we can to support them and their families in the days ahead and I know the hearts, thoughts and prayers of the entire Delta community are with them.”
Toronto International Airport CEO, Deborah Flint, praised the crew and emergency responders during a press conference on Tuesday, calling the response “textbook.”
She commended the Delta crew for “heroically leading passengers to safety, evacuating a jet that had overturned on the runway on landing that was amidst smoke and fire. Thank you for all that you do every day and every night in service of safe air travel.”
The swift response from crew and emergency workers was among the reasons that there were no fatalities in Monday’s plane crash. Relatively new and specialised fire trucks, acquired by the airport in recent years also apparently made a difference according to officials.
Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken also emphasised the rapid response from firefighters as he told reporters: “They were able to quickly knock down the spot fires using the aircraft rescue firefighting apparatus. Once the fires were knocked down, the crews did make entry and performed primary search and rescue.”
He added that the crew have “specialised aircraft rescue firefighting equipment that carries water foam and dry chem, which is used to smother and cover up the jet fuel. We do have the appropriate equipment and the appropriate training to mitigate that emergency,” he said. “We train for such events.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has launched an ongoing investigation with support from the US National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal aviation Administration. Investigators confirmed on Tuesday that the aircraft’s black boxes have been recovered and will help determine the cause of the incident, while aviation experts have said investigators will also consider conditions on the ground with the runway covered in snow and ice. At the time of the crash, Pearson was experiencing blowing snow and winds of 32mph, gusting to 40mph, according to the Meteorological Service of Canada.
Additional areas under investigation include the pilot’s actions before and during landing, the condition of the landing gear and air traffic control communications. The incident highlights the persistent challenges in aviation safety, as it follows a series of recent incidents across North America, including the collision between a commercial jetliner and army helicopter near Reagan National Airport, a medical transportation plane crash in Philadelphia and another crash in Alaska. These incidents are also hot on the heels of the deadly Jeju Air and Azerbaijan Airlines accidents in December.
While these incidents draw attention to the risks in aviation, experts and regulators continue to affirm that air travel remains the safest mode of transportation. These incidents do however underscore the constant need for collaboration, vigilance and safety measures across the entire aviation ecosystem and highlight the effectiveness of swift emergency response when an incident does occur.
Image source: Old image of Airbus A320 jet airliner of Delta Air Lines on the tarmac of Toronto Pearson International airport. Credit iStock.
