Officials hail response to Toronto plane crash as ‘textbook’ — but offer scant details on possible cause

February 17, 2025 Canuck

The mangled body of a Delta Air Lines plane remained on a Toronto runway on Tuesday as investigators began the work of piecing together what caused the plane to crash and flip over, sending 21 people to hospital.

Pearson International Airport president and CEO Deborah Flint spoke to reporters at a Tuesday afternoon news conference alongside emergency responders, describing their response to the dramatic incident on Monday afternoon as “textbook.”

“I thank each and every one of these heroes,” Flint said, adding that 19 of the 21 people that were injured have now been released from hospital.

But in the nearly 24 hours since the crash, details on what may have caused it have been scant.

Flint she would “not speculate” on what happened.

WATCH | Video from social media shows plane crash in Toronto:

Social media video shows Delta plane land in Toronto, catch fire and roll

7 hours ago

Duration 0:35

A video posted in a private Facebook group called Toronto Pearson Aviation shows the Delta plane coming in for a landing on Monday, sliding, and then rolling as flames and smoke billow.

On Monday afternoon, a Delta Air Lines plane crashed on the airport’s runway. Video of the incident shows a burst of flames and black smoke before the plane, a Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR, flipped onto its back.

The plane will likely stay there for at least 48 hours as investigators begin their work, Flint said.

Transportation Safety Board expected to comment

Flint said that 20 investigators from the Transportation Safety Board were at the airport Tuesday, along with members of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and teams from Delta and Mitsubishi.

“You can expect to start hearing more from the investigating authorities about the accident that happened here,” she said, adding that she anticipated a statement from the Transportation Safety Board later in the day.

The crash came after days of difficult weather conditions in the area, including two snowstorms last week and over the weekend.

WATCH | Full remarks from Pearson president and CEO:

Toronto Pearson president gives update on plane crash

3 hours ago

Duration 29:42

Toronto Pearson President and CEO, Deborah Flint, is speaking to the media one day after a plane crashed and flipped on the runway at the airport.

But Flint also said that Monday was “clear,” and that airport staff had been working hard in the hours leading up to the incident to recover from delays and cancelled flights stemming from previous days of messy weather.

At Tuesday’s news conference, Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken was also asked about the possible impact of crosswinds, which are winds that blow perpendicular to the direction of travel.

On Monday evening, Aitken had said that the runway was dry and that crosswinds were not present. But at Tuesday’s news conference, he said that it was “very early to provide any conclusions,” instead referring questions to the Transportation Safety Board.

2 people remain in hospital

Ornge, Ontario’s air ambulance service, said Monday that one of the injured passengers was a child who was taken to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children with critical injuries.

Authorities could not confirm on Tuesday whether that child was one of the two people who remained in hospital.

WATCH | New information on injuries sustained by plane crash survivors:

‘Multitude’ of injuries for passengers on Delta plane that crashed at Pearson

4 hours ago

Duration 1:55

A Peel Region paramedic representative says people on board the Delta airlines plane that skidded and rolled at Pearson on Sunday says staff saw a ‘multitude’ of injuries, including back sprains, head injuries and anxiety, as well as nausea and vomiting due to fuel exposure.

According to Cory Tkatch with Peel Regional Paramedic Services, “staff were faced with a multitude of injuries,” when they arrived at the scene Monday.

Tkatch said the most common injuries were back sprains, head injuries, nausea and vomiting.

Pearson operating without 2 runways

As the investigation gets underway, Flint told reporters that Pearson is unable to use two of its runways and remains in “recovery mode,” trying to catch up on delayed flights.

Pearson is “currently without use of our longest east, west and north runways,” she said.

“This, and ongoing expected additional weather conditions today, will affect how fast we recover operations, particularly with departure of aircraft.”

Environment Canada issued a winter weather travel advisory for Toronto on Tuesday, saying the city could see an additional five centimetres of snow by this evening.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Pearson’s online departures board shows significant and widespread delays for departures.

According to FlightAware, an online flight tracking platform, inbound flights to Toronto are also being held at their departure points until 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

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