ඣDays after the United States witnessed back-to-back aviation disasters, a Delta Airlines plane from Minneapolis carrying 76 passengers and four crew members flipped upon arrival at Toronto's Pearson Airport in Canada injuring at least 19 people.
𝐆According to the airline's official statement, the accident happened at about 2:15 PM and flights at the airport, which handles more passengers than any other Canadian airport, were grounded for around two and half hours. Two runways will remain closed during the investigation.
ꦜVideos have emerged on social media showing the flipped Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR on the snowy tarmac as emergency workers hose it down. The CRJ-900 was developed by Canadian aerospace company Bombardier. It belongs to the same family of aircraft as the CRJ-700, the type of plane involved in the midair collision near Reagan National Airport on January 29.
As per The Associated Press🌠, the official statement of the US Federal Aviation Administration said that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada would head up the investigation and provide any updates. Moreover, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also leading a team of US investigators to assist in the Canadian investigation.
🐓Before this, Pearson Airport witnessed the last major crash on August 2, 2005, when an Airbus A340 landing from Paris skidded off the runway and burst into flames amid stormy weather. All 309 passengers and crew aboard Air France Flight 358 had survived the crash.
What Caused The Mishap?
෴According to the experts, it is too early to ascertain what caused the plane to flip. However, weather conditions are considered a crucial factor. According to the Meteorological Service of Canada, the airport was experiencing blowing snow and winds of 51 kilometres per hour gusting to 65 kilometres per hour. The temperature was about minus 8.6 degrees Celsius.
🥃Commenting on the incident, John Cox, CEO of aviation safety consulting firm Safety Operating Systems in St Petersburg, Florida told The Associated Press, "It's very rare to see something like this. We've seen a couple of cases of takeoffs where airplanes have ended up inverted, but it's pretty rare."
ℱ"The weather conditions were windy. The wind was out of the west at 27 to 35 knots, which is about 61 kilometres per hour. So it was windy. But the airplanes are designed and certified to handle that. The pilots are trained and experienced to handle that", he further added
꧟As per the audio recording from the tower at Toronto Pearson International Airport, the flight was cleared to land at about 2:10 pm local time. However, the tower also warned the pilots of a possible air flow bump in the glide path.
Emergency Medical Services In Place
💞According to the paramedics, at least 19 people were injured. Ornge air ambulance said it was transporting one pediatric patient to Toronto's SickKids hospital and two injured adults to other hospitals in the city.
✅"Emergency teams are responding," the airport said in a post on the social platform X. "All passengers and crew are accounted for."
♈It is at least the fourth major aviation mishap in North America in the past month.
𝔉Ontario's Premier Doug Ford said on X he is "relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson". Toronto is the capital of Ontario. "Provincial officials are in contact with the airport and local authorities and will provide any help that's needed," Ford said.
🔜Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement that "the hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today's incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport".
(With AP Inputs)
