Shocking video has captured the moment a Delta plane carrying 80 people burst into flames upon landing on an icy runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The extraordinary footage comes as Canadian authorities reveal they are still working to determine the cause of the crash, calling for patience as they seal off two runways and recruit reinforcements from the United States.
All 76 passengers and four crew members survived the Monday crash, which comes on the heels of a terrible month of aviation disasters across North America.
In the video, the Bombardier CR900 came in for the landing fast in blustery and windy conditions. Upon impact a fireball erupted and the plane appeared to tilt to one side.
The video matches the recollection of passenger John Nelson, who told CNN the plane ‘went sideways and… we skidded on our side and flipped over on our back.’
He added: ‘When we hit, it was super hard.
‘I did notice the winds were super gusty. The snow had kinda blown over the runways. So coming it was routine but it was noticeable that the runways were in kind of a weird condition.’
The moment the plane stopped, Nelson noticed ‘there was a big fireball on the left side of the plane.’https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/html_modules/2025/02_FEB/250218_Toronto_Flight/index.html
How shocking Delta plane crash unfolded with 80 passengers on board
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Shocking video has captured the moment a Delta plane carrying 80 people burst into flames upon landing on an icy runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport
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The extraordinary footage highlighted the blustery conditions the pilot was navigating
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The Bombardier CR900 came in for the landing fast in blustery and windy conditions. Upon impact a fireball erupted and the plane appeared to tilt to one side
‘I was upside down’: Delta passenger’s account of Toronto crash
Former National Transportation Safety Board managing director Peter Goelz told CNN that it appeared a strong gust of wind had hit the plane just as it touched down, causing it to tip over and for the wing to tear off.
He said the impact caused a fire in the fuel cells in the wing.
Several passengers captured crucial video which has helped to piece together the immediate aftermath of the crash.
Pete Koukov, who had been filming ski content, was on board the plane and shared harrowing video of the moment he escaped the wreckage.
‘Being alive feels pretty cool today,’ he captioned the video.
In the video, Koukov was climbing out of the upside down plane with the assistance of a female crew member, who was telling passengers: ‘Come on. Don’t take no video. Put that phone away.’
Koukov, clearly in shock, pivoted his camera to capture the upside down plane.https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/html_modules/2025/02_FEB/250218_Toronto_Flight_Satview/index.html
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Authorities rushed to the scene and by the time they arrived a ‘self evacuation’ was already underway
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The aircraft still lays on its roof after crashing on Monday afternoon, as two runways are closed pending further investigation
Hear control tower audio as a Delta plane crashed into TO airport
‘Holy f**k,’ he said repeatedly. ‘Oh my f***ing God. Yo, I was just on this f***ing plane.’
Later, he recalled the harrowing experience of having to unstrap himself from his seat – whilst upside down – and hurry to the emergency exit.
‘We hit the ground, and we were sideways, and then we were upside down hanging like bats,’ he said.
‘Just feeling lucky and happy I got to give the person I didn’t know sitting next to me a big hug, that we were OK, and see my friends who are here to pick me up from the airport and give them a big hug.’
Koukov said while he was able to unbuckle his own seatbelt and walk off the plane, there were other passengers who required greater assistance.
His video attracted praise for the no-nonsense flight attendant who appeared calm and helpful during crisis.
‘Notice how important flight attendants are,’ one person said.
‘The planes inverted and they getting the job done good work on the crew,’ another added.
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In total, 18 passengers were treated for varying injuries. The youngest victim, reportedly a four-year-old, was taken to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto
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Former National Transportation Safety Board managing director Peter Goelz told CNN that it appeared a strong gust of wind had hit the plane just as it touched down, causing it to tip over and for the wing to tear off
‘Kudos to the crew for evacuating everyone safety. The training Flight Attendants go though isn’t for the faint of heart or to serve a coke and a cookie.’
Canadian authorities held two press conferences on Monday night providing limited updates about the crash.
In total, 18 passengers were treated for varying injuries.
The youngest victim, reportedly a four-year-old, was taken to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
Two adults were airlifted to trauma centers nearby – one went to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center and the other to St. Michael’s Hospital.
In the first press conference, Toronto Pearson President and CEO Deborah Flint revealed 22 passengers were Canadian citizens, describing the remaining as ‘multinationals.’
‘There was no loss of life and this is in due part to our heroic and trained professionals, our first responders at the airport,’ she said.
The second press conference confirmed the total number of injuries and gave new details about the investigation.
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A Delta plane crash-landed at Toronto’s Pearson international airport on Monday. Images from the scene show the plane upside down on the airport runway
Delta plane crashes and flips upside down at Toronto Pearson Airport
Fire Chief Todd Aitken urged the public not to speculate about the cause of the crash as the investigation is being conducted.
He said the runway was ‘dry’ at the time of the crash.
‘This is an active investigation. It’s very early on. It’s important that we do not speculate. What we can say, is the runway was dry and there was no crosswind conditions,’ he said.
According to data from Environment Canada, wind gusts reached between 51 to 65 kilometers per hour at the time of the crash, with blustering snow.
Airport staff had also worked through the night to clear about eight inches of snow which had blanketed the grounds.
‘Three of our stations in the airport operating area responded with eight apparatus,’ he said.
In all, 18 paramedic units arrived at the scene. When emergency services arrived, a ‘self evacuation’ was already taking place.
Aitken and his colleagues were heckled for refusing to answer questions or clear up any confusion about the crash.
Flight tracker shows Delta plane’s route before crash
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According to data from Environment Canada , wind gusts reached between 51 to 65 kilometres per hour at the time of the crash, with blowing snow
Press are baffled by Fire Chief and team’s behavior after briefing
After providing a short statement, he and his team walked away from the podium, ignoring shouted questions from media in the crowd.
One particularly riled up reporter said: ‘The eyes of North America are on here and you’re walking away from the microphone.
‘What are you guys doing? You’re walking away from the microphones while everyone’s watching.’
Fellow survivor Ashley Zook shared her footage Snapchat, revealing: ‘I was just in a plane crash. Oh my God.’
The plane was operated by a regional airline, Endeavor Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines headquartered in Minneapolis.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian issued a statement shortly after the incident, revealing the airline had activated its ‘Passenger Inquiry Center for family and loved ones of customers involved in today’s accident’ to ensure they can contact Delta officials for more information.
‘In Canada, these individuals may reach out via 1-866-629-4775. In the United States, they may connect using 1-800-997-5454.’
Bastian said: ‘The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport.’
New CCTV shows dramatic moment Delta plane crash-landed in Toronto
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Emergency crews surrounded the plane after the crash landing
Has airline safety declined?YesNo
‘I want to express my thanks to the many Delta and Endeavor team members and the first responders on site.’
All operations at the Toronto airport were swiftly shut down after the crash landing, but most had reopened by about 5pm local time.
Shocking images from the scene show the plane upside down on the ice-covered runway.
And audio recovered from the air traffic control tower between controllers and a Medevac helicopter has shed light on the incident.
About 2.13pm on Monday, one official could be heard saying: ‘This airplane has just crashed.’
During a separate conversation between air traffic controllers and a Medevac helicopter, first responders in the skies revealed what they could see from above.
‘Just so you’re aware, there’s people also walking around the aircraft there,’ one person says.
‘Yeah, we’ve got it,’ another man responds. ‘The aircraft is upside down and burning.’
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Ashley Zook, who took to Snapchat , said: ‘I was just in a plane crash. Oh my god.’
Crews race to Delta plane after it crashed at Toronto airport
Passengers were seen exiting the aircraft and running away from it as they stepped onto the icy runway.
Emergency crews surrounded the plane after the crash landing and sprayed it with foam, preventing a potential deadly fire
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board would be the ones to investigate the crash as it happened in Canadian territory.
But Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said FAA investigators are on the way to Toronto and he has been in touch with my counterpart in Canada to offer assistance and help with the investigation.
The FAA has been under intense scrutiny since President Trump returned to the White House, handing ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk authority to cut and cull entire departments as part of his work eliminating excessive government spending.
The White House began firing hundreds of workers at the FAA this past weekend, with members of Musk‘s SpaceX team scheduled to meet the remaining senior staff to begin implementing new improvements.
David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, said the first emails were sent to probationary workers late on Friday night.
He said hundreds had received notice that their employment was terminated.
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Aviation obsessives speculated on a message board that the jet may have been flipped by strong crosswinds
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At least eight people were injured in the landing but are expected to be okay
Since taking office in January, Trump and his sidekick Musk have rapidly shrunk the federal workforce to save money.
And aviation is already under incredible scrutiny after several major crashes in the first few weeks of 2025 alone.
Some 67 people died in a collision between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet.
The causes are still under investigation, but early reports revealed staffing levels were ‘not normal,’ and that a single controller was handling helicopter traffic as well as airline traffic at the airport.
Days later a medical jet crashed in Philadelphia killing all six people on board.
Then, a small plane carrying 10 crashed over Alaska, again killing everybody on board.
The Association of Flight Attendants also issued a statement following the crash-landing.
‘Our union is responding to an incident in Toronto with Delta Air Lines Endeavor Flight 4819. AFA crew were working this flight,’ the statement read.
‘Reports are there are no fatalities. Please do not speculate on this incident as everyone works to gather information and support those involved.’
Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed gratitude there were no casualties in the incident.
‘I’m relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson,’ Ford said on X.
‘Provincial officials are in contact with the airport and local authorities and will provide any help that’s needed.’
