Delta plane passengers detail moment aircraft flipped upside down while landing in Toronto
An investigation is underway to determine what caused a Delta Air Lines plane to crash land in Toronto Monday afternoon after taking off from Minneapolis.
Airport officials say all 80 people were on Flight 4819. Delta said 21 people had been hospitalized, with only two still remaining in care as of Tuesday morning. Two adults suffered critically injuries, according to Peel Regional Paramedic Services. The rest of the injuries are minor to moderate, officials said.
John Nelson, one of the passengers, captured the scene as he climbed out of the upside-down plane. He says there was a hard landing and the plane skidded on its side before flipping on its back.
"There was like a big fireball outside the left side of the plane and when we got finished we were upside down, everybody else was there as well," Nelson said.
Flight attendants and passengers helped others on board crawl out of the aircraft.
"Airport emergency workers mounted a textbook response, reaching the site within minutes and quickly evacuating the passengers," Deborah Flint, president and CEO of Toronto Pearson International Airport said.
Aitken said in a news conference Monday night the runway was dry and there were no crosswind conditions at the time of the crash.
Yam Haus, a Minneapolis-based band, was at the airport in Toronto getting ready to board their plane home when they realized the plane that flipped was supposed to be theirs.
"All of us were a little, you know, I would say, shocked and spooked," Lars Pruitt with Yam Haus said, "one plane of separation from a much different situation."
Matt Cunningham, a man from Maple Plain, Minnesota, was among those on board at the time of the crash.
"Suddenly we're upside down, and that's when it hits you. I'm in a plane crash. I'm in an actual plane crash," Matt Cunningham said.
Passengers were left upside down, buckled in their seats. He said some fell to the ground after unbuckling and making their way to the emergency exits.
"Seeing the videos today of the fireball we landed in, it just seems inconceivable that we weren't on fire," Matt Cunningham said.
Matt Cunningham made his way home on Tuesday. As a husband and father of eight, his family had been waiting anxiously for his safe arrival. His wife, Jessica Cunningham, said the family is still processing the events of the past few days.
"It's a lot for them all to process. And thankfully, some of them got the news after we all knew that he was fine," she said.
When Matt Cunningham finally walked through the door, he was greeted by a pile of hugs and a cake from his children, with a message that read, "I think I'll walk."
"The only reason I think we can smile and joke about it is by God's grace. Eighty people got off that plane," he said.
Mixed feelings about flying
Travelers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport had mixed feelings about flying with Monday's crash being the latest in a string of recent incidents.
"My hairs have been up on the back of my neck recently because of all the incidents," one traveler said.
One man at MSP said he wasn't as concerned.
"I'm not really worried about it. I think that was kind of a fluke day. I think the air industry in general is pretty good," he said.
Sarah Lechowich, a passenger on another flight Tuesday, said she purposely avoided seeing coverage of the incident knowing she had travel plans coming up.
"When I buckled my seatbelt I was like, that's why we have them," she said.
Dennis Reynolds brought his therapy dog, Mr. Cottons, to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to help calm anxious travelers.
According to the International Air Transport Association, one in 1.26 million flights are involved in a flying incident.
The National Safety Council said the lifetime odds of dying in a plane crash is "too small to calculate."
