Passengers aboard a commercial flight that flipped upside down onto an airport runway before erupting into flames in Canada on Monday have opened up about their lucky escape.
Eighteen people were injured in the incident, which occured at around 2.15pm local time at Toronto Pearson International Airport as the plane was landing, though no fatalities have been reported so far.
John Nelson, one of the passengers of the flight from Minneapolis, USA, shared a video on Facebook after, telling his followers: “Our plane crashed. It’s upside down.”
Filming the aircraft from metres away as first responders blasted it with water, Nelson said: “Most people appear to be okay. We’re all getting off.”
Peter Koukov, who was also onboard, told CNN: “We were upside down hanging like bats.”
Another passenger, Pete Carlson, who works as a paramedic told the Canadian public broadcaster CBC: “One minute you’re landing, kind of waiting to see your friends and your people.
“And the next minute you’re physically upside-down and just really turned around,” adding: “It was cement and metal.”
Carlson said travellers offered each other support through the ordeal, saying what he saw was “everyone on that plane suddenly became very close, in terms of how to help one another, how to console one another”.
The US Federal Aviation Authority said the aircraft was operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air. Delta chief executive Ed Bastian said in a statement: “The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport.
“I want to express my thanks to the many Delta and Endeavor team members and the first responders on site. We are working to confirm the details and will share the most current information on news.delta.com as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, please take care and stay safe.”
It’s not yet clear what caused the crash. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is set to lead an investigation.
The airport had been seeing weather-related delays over the last few days, as parts of Ontario were hit with heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures, as per the BBC.
But speaking at a brief media address, Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken said the runway was dry at the time of the crash and “there was no cross-wind conditions”.
Deborah Flint, the president and CEO of the airport said there would likely be disruptions for travellers in the coming days, as two runways will be closed for an on-scene probe, USA Today reports.
The plane was a CRJ900 aircraft, made by Canada’s Bombardier company. The firm has been approached for comment.
