A Delta Air Lines plane overturned when it crash-landed at Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday, injuring more than a dozen passengers, including a child.
Delta Air Lines flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, was arriving from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport when it “crashed while landing” at Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport around 2:45 p.m. Monday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. All 80 people on board were evacuated.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.
Eighteen passengers were transported to nearby hospitals, airport fire chief Todd Aitken told reporters on Monday night.
“At this time, we do not know of any of those passengers having critical injuries,” Pearson CEO Deborah Flint said in a statement to reporters but refused to take any questions.
Medical transport company Ornge reports three people suffered critical injuries: a man in his 60s, a woman in her 40s and a child.
On Monday evening, the city's SickKids hospital said that the child it had received was in good condition but could not provide any further information.
None of the passengers’ identities have been released.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will be in charge of the investigation and will provide any updates, the federal agency said.
The TSB said it deployed a team to investigate the “aircraft accident” while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said FAA investigators are on their way to Toronto.
“Toronto Pearson is aware of an incident upon landing involving a Delta Airlines plane arriving from Minneapolis,” the airport wrote on X on Monday. “Emergency teams are responding. All passengers and crew are accounted for.”
Social media users captured harrowing images and videos of the crash, showing the plane upside-down on snow-covered ground. Videos also showed people evacuating from the overturned aircraft and walking out onto the runway.
Earlier in the day, Toronto Pearson Airport said it was expecting a “busy day” as airlines were trying to catch up after a snowstorm pummeled the area with more than eight inches of snow. Wind gusts of more than 40 mph also whipped through Toronto on Monday. The airport is now experiencing delays of up to one hour and 30 minutes, according to FlightAware.
Passengers were on board a CRJ-900 holding 76 passengers and four crew members, Delta said. The plane in question is about 16 years old, The New York Times reported. These aircraft typically operate for 20 or 30 years with proper maintenance, according to the outlet.
In a statement on its website, Delta said it’s “aware of reports” that flight 4819 was involved in an incident and is “working to confirm any details” and will provide updates as soon as possible.
Toronto Pearson Airport is at a ground stop, according to the FAA.
“I’m relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a post on X. “Provincial officials are in contact with the airport and local authorities and will provide any help that’s needed.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he was in touch with the airline: “Grateful to the first responders and professionals on the scene.”
The incident comes weeks after three deadly crashes on U.S. soil. An American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided on January 29 near Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 people on board. Days later, a medical jet carrying six crashed in northeast Pennsylvania, claiming all lives on board. Weeks later, a plane traveling through Alaska went missing for a number of hours before the U.S. Coast Guard found the aircraft’s wreckage and the bodies of all 10 passengers on board.
Despite those incidents, the Trump administration has already begun terminating hundreds of probationary FAA employees.
David Spero, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, said employees were notified of their termination starting Friday evening. “We are troubled and disappointed by the administration’s decision to fire FAA probationary employees PASS represents without cause nor based on performance or conduct.”
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association also told the Associated Press in a statement Monday it was “analyzing the effect of the reported federal employee terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system and our members.”
