Things tend to be upside-down these days! Yes, in a literal sense…
Flight 4819 crash landed at Toronto Pearson Airport yesterday afternoon. The aircraft landed upside down on the tarmac, with at least one wing detached as a result.
Of the 80 people aboard the plane during the landing, 76 passengers and 4 staff, about 18 of them were injured. Three of them, one of which a child, suffered critical injuries, as per local authorities. The other 15 passengers who were injured were all taken to hospitals for minor injuries. Thankfully, all 80 passengers were successfully evacuated, and no deaths were reported.
This event marks the fifth major plane crash in 2025. Less than three weeks ago, the worst aviation accident since 2009 occurred when an American Airlines jet crashed into the Potomac River in Washington. A mere two days later, on the 31st of January, a plane crashed at Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia. Two other accidents occurred during the time between then and this accident.
Unfortunately, no one involved in the described disasters survived, so to see a case where no fatalities were reported is certainly a breath of fresh air. Of course, there’s still a world of difference between this and no crash at all.
Various videos of the scene were taken, which featured the aircraft in flames, endlessly sending dark smoke into the cold afternoon atmosphere. Footage also showed firefighters making attempts to extinguish nearby fires, which seemed to be originating from the plane’s fuelage. Meanwhile, all of the passengers were evacuating the plane, still flipped belly-up.
In an interview with CNN, Pete Koukov, one of the passengers, mentioned that he “didn’t know anything was the matter.” This was the case, up until the plane hit the ground, which Koukov described as a rather hard landing.
Koukov further described the crash. “We hit the ground and we were sideways, and then we were upside down hanging like bats.”
John Nelson explained what happened afterwards. He also told CNN, “I was able to just unbuckle and sort of fall and push myself to the ground.” While Nelson could free himself, other passengers needed help. Thankfully those who were already free could help others get down as well.
As evidenced by the successful evacuation, everyone managed to get down from their seats, and out of the overturned aircraft.
So, what may have caused this crash?
The accident may have been due to the inclement weather taking place at the time. According to the Weather Service Of Environment Canada, at the time of the accident, westward winds were coming in at about 29 mph, with gusts up to 38 mph. At the time, Toronto was also being hit by a snowstorm, similar to Ontario, which was also hit by a snowstorm the past two days. The snowstorm in Toronto resulted in drifting snow.
Earlier that day, airport officials mentioned that they were expecting “a busy day,” primarily due to the recent snowstorms causing delays in the past. This past weekend, a snowstorm lead to more than 8 inches of snow covering the ground.
Throughout the day, a group of Orange Removal Machines worked to clear the runways before sunset that day, so that normal activity could resume.
Of course, the inside of Toronto Pearson Airport, where the crash occurred, was comparable to that of the underworld. Announcements from nearby intercoms warned passengers of many delays that would occur as a result of the accident.
This was made even worse considering the circumstances of what happened previously. Specifically, the storms.
The departure hall became a massive pain to get through, as many people were stuck waiting for their flights. “It’s a little bit of a logistical nightmare” says Teresa Norris, who was stuck waiting for her flight back to Montreal.
It was a very gradual and slow process, but thankfully, by 5 pm that day, arrivals and departures had continued service as normal, and all 80 people aboard were accounted for, according to airport authorities.
Delta Airlines themselves did make a statement about the accident on their website. The company mentioned that they knew about the incoming reports, and that they are doing everything they can to confirm any details, alongside The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, who would lead the investigation.
