TOROTO: A Delta Airlines plane landed in Toronto at 2:13 p.m. (1913 GMT) on February 17, 2025, after an 86-minute flight. The plane came to a stop near the intersection of runway 23 and runway 15, according to FlightRadar24 data. At the time of the incident, weather conditions included gusting crosswinds and blowing snow, as reported by the flight tracking website.
Emergency responders were seen around the aircraft at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, where the crash occurred. Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken later stated that the runway was dry and there were no crosswind conditions. However, several pilots, who had viewed video footage of the incident, disputed his statement.
U.S. aviation safety expert and pilot, John Cox, noted that there was an average crosswind of 19 knots (22 mph) from the right as the plane was landing. He explained that such gusty conditions would require constant adjustments in airspeed, vertical, and lateral profiles. While challenging, Cox emphasized that these are normal tasks for professional pilots. He added that investigators would be working to understand why the right wing separated from the plane.
Michael J. McCormick, an associate professor of air traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, remarked that the plane’s upside-down position made the incident unique. He also highlighted the fact that 80 people survived, crediting the engineering, technology, and regulations that helped make such an outcome possible.
This incident is rare, with only a few previous cases of planes flipping over on landing, all involving the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 model. In 2009, a FedEx freighter flipped at Tokyo’s Narita airport, resulting in the death of both pilots. In 1999, a China Airlines flight turned over in Hong Kong, causing three fatalities, and in 1997, another FedEx freighter flipped at Newark without any fatalities.
Though flights resumed at Toronto Pearson later that day, airport president Deborah Flint confirmed that there would be delays for the next few days as two runways remained closed for investigation. Flint expressed gratitude for the absence of fatalities and the relatively minor injuries, praising the efforts of first responders.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) deployed a team of investigators, with assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. A preliminary investigation report is expected within 30 days, as per global aviation standards.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which acquired the CRJ aircraft program from Bombardier in 2020, acknowledged the incident and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
This crash in Canada follows a series of recent air disasters in North America, including a deadly collision between an Army helicopter and a CRJ-700 passenger jet in Washington, D.C., and a medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia that claimed at least seven lives. Additionally, a passenger plane crash in Alaska killed 10 people.
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