A Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis flipped over on the tarmac while attempting to land in windy and snowy conditions at Toronto’s Pearson Airport on Monday—resulting in injuries to 18 of the 80 people on board the plane but no fatalities—the latest in a series of aviation incidents involving U.S. passenger planes in the past month.
A Delta Air Lines airplane lands at Lester B. Pearson International Airport on December 13, 2024, in ... [+]
Toronto’s Pearson International Airport said the cause of the crash was under investigation and added that a total of 18 injured passengers were transported to hospitals—17 immediately after the crash and one later.
Delta confirmed that the incident involved Delta Connection flight 4819, operated by its regional subsidiary Endeavor Air, and noted that the incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. ET without providing additional details.
Deborah Flint, the CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority told reporters at an evening press conference that the authorities were “very grateful there was no loss of life and relatively minor injuries,” and added that they were “very focussed” on caring for the affected passengers at the moment.
The exact circumstances of the crash are still unclear, though early photos from Reuters and Canada’s CTV News show the plane upside down on the runway, and in an audio recording quoted by CTV, an air traffic controller said the aircraft was “upside down and burning.”
No fatalities have been reported, according to Delta, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday he is “relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson.”
Flights going into and out of the Toronto airport are now suspended, with Canadian outlet CBC reporting the airport’s runways are expected to be closed at least until Tuesday.
Information is still emerging about the circumstances behind the crash and the extent of any injuries onboard. Sources cited by ABC News say an investigation into the crash is already underway, with the Federal Aviation Administration saying the Transportation Safety Board of Canada will lead the probe.
The plane crash comes at what’s already been a fraught time for air travel, following a recent fatal plane crash at Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport as a flight collided with a military helicopter. Several smaller flight crashes in Philadelphia, Alaska and Georgia have also raised anxiety about air travel, particularly as President Donald Trump’s administration and billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have moved forward with cuts at the FAA. Multiple news outlets reported late Sunday that nearly 300 FAA staffers were fired over the weekend. The cuts have drawn widespread condemnation amid the anxiety in the wake of the Reagan Airport crash, with the union representing the terminated workers saying the “hastily made” layoffs will be “dangerous” for public safety and decrying the staff cuts as “especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month.” Musk claimed on X on Sunday evening his company SpaceX will play a role in federal aviation in the Trump administration, tweeting, “SpaceX engineers will help make air travel safer.”