Astonishment gripped passengers and onlookers alike when a Delta Air Lines jet flipped onto its roof while landing at snowy and windy Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday.
In an almost surreal scene, the CRJ-900LR lay belly-up on the tarmac, its fuselage largely intact. Even more incredible – every single one of the 80 people on board survived.
Peter Carlson, a passenger on the flight from Minneapolis, described the shocking moment. “One second we were landing, the next, everything was sideways. Then, in a blink, I was upside down, still strapped in,” he told CBC News.
Inside the overturned aircraft, passengers hung from their seatbelts, disoriented but alive. Snow gusted outside as fuel dripped down the windows. The chaos of an upside-down jet was surreal, but relief came fast.
Lightning-Fast Emergency Response
Within minutes of impact, emergency crews swarmed the wreckage. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames while paramedics assisted passengers, some of whom had to drop from their seats onto the ceiling – now the floor. Despite the shock, the response was seamless.
Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken confirmed that emergency teams arrived within moments and executed their rescue plan flawlessly. “The response went as planned,” he said. “Our crews were on scene almost immediately.”
Eighteen passengers were taken to the hospital, but injuries were remarkably minor for such a dramatic crash.
Experts were baffled. “Planes don’t just flip over like that,” said aviation safety consultant John Cox. Investigators are now probing why the aircraft lost its right wing, a factor that could have caused the rollover.
Despite the chaos, relief was the prevailing emotion. As Carlson put it, “I didn’t care how cold it was-I just needed to get out. We all did.”
