Delta Plane Crash Survivors Describe Their Experience Inside Burning Plane

A terrifying scene unfolded at Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday afternoon when a Delta flight from Minneapolis crash-landed in heavy winds and snow. The plane, carrying 80 passengers and crew, hit the runway hard, causing its landing gear to collapse and its right wing to break away in a fiery explosion. Within moments, the aircraft flipped over, leaving passengers hanging upside down in their seats as flames and thick black smoke surrounded the wreckage.

Miraculously, everyone on board survived. Emergency crews rushed in to extinguish the fire and help passengers evacuate. “We are very grateful there was no loss of life and relatively minor injuries,” said Deborah Flint, CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. However, 21 people, including a child, were taken to the hospital with injuries.

Now, Canadian and U.S. investigators are working to figure out what went wrong. Here’s what we know so far.

Extreme Weather and a Hard Landing

Delta Flight 4819 took off from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and was approaching Toronto Pearson shortly after 2 p.m. local time. The airport had been dealing with strong winds and had spent the night clearing nearly eight inches of snow from the runways.

As the plane neared the airport, air traffic control warned the pilots about wind gusts reaching 38 mph. “Might be a slight bump in the glide path,” an air traffic worker cautioned. Despite the warning, the aircraft struggled against the harsh conditions and slammed into the runway.

Within seconds, the right wing hit the ground, shearing off in a fireball. The plane skidded along the tarmac before flipping onto its roof, trapping passengers inside. “When we got finished, I was upside down, everybody else was there as well,” said passenger John Nelson. “We tried to get out of there as quickly as possible.”

Passengers Trapped and Hanging Upside Down

For those inside the plane, the crash was disorienting and terrifying. “We were upside down, hanging like bats,” recalled Peter Koukov, another passenger. Some were able to free themselves, but others needed help unbuckling and dropping to the ceiling, which had now become the floor.

Nelson described the chaos of the moment. “People were yelling for us to get out of the plane,” he said. “We just made a beeline for the opening.”

Outside, emergency crews raced onto the tarmac, spraying the burning wreckage with thick white fire retardant. The heat from the flames had already melted parts of the aircraft’s fiberglass frame, and thick black streaks stained the fuselage.

Meanwhile, a nearby medical helicopter was rerouted to assist with the crash. As it approached, air traffic control alerted the pilots that people were already evacuating. “Yeah, we’ve got it. The aircraft is upside down and burning,” the helicopter pilot confirmed.

A Chaotic Escape and a Moment of Unity

Flight attendants quickly sprang into action, helping passengers crawl through the emergency exits. Some evacuees jumped from the overturned plane onto the snow-covered ground below, while others clung to jackets and small bags. “It was cement and metal,” described passenger Peter Carlson, recalling the eerie sight inside the flipped aircraft.

Despite the fear and confusion, passengers supported each other. “What I saw was everyone on that plane suddenly became very close, in terms of how to help one another, how to console one another,” Carlson said. “That was powerful.”

The crash forced Toronto Pearson to shut down all five of its runways for a time, leading to delays and flight diversions. As emergency crews worked to clear the wreckage, passengers gathered outside, hugging themselves for warmth and staring back at the disaster they had just survived.

For Nelson, the stress of those few seconds still lingered. “While some people were injured, most seemed okay,” he said. “But I was left stressed and shaky after what just happened.”

As investigators now piece together what led to the crash, one thing is clear—this could have been far worse. Thanks to seatbelts, quick-thinking flight crews, and fast emergency response, a disaster was avoided.