All eighty people aboard the De’ta Air Lines flight that flipped on to its roof in icy conditions at Toronto Pearson Airport survived the accident, with some talking of the ordeal
A passenger on board a plane that bounced on to its roof shortly after landing in icy conditions said those aboard were left “hanging upside down like bats”.
The Delta Air Lines flight flipped when it touched down at Toronto Pearson Airport from Minneapolis in blizzard conditions and strong gusts of wind. Incredibly, the only casualty of the accident was the plane itself as it lost both wings, as all 76 passengers and four crew members survived.
Shocked passengers have spoken of the horror moment the aircraft came to a stop on its roof. Among those onboard was Peter Koukov who had not realised there was an issue until the plane hot the ground.
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He told CNN : “We were upside down hanging like bats.” He added he was able to unbuckle himself and walked on the ceiling of the plane, but others needed help climbing down from their seats.
Another passengers, John Nelson, said: “In Toronto, just landed our plane, crashed it’s upside down. It's upside down everybody…. most people appear to be okay believe it or not. I landed and was stuck upside down. It exploded shortly after the video.”
Delta Airlines said in an earlier statement: “Delta Connection flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air using a CRJ-900 aircraft, was involved in a single-aircraft accident at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) at around 2:15 p.m on Monday. Initial reports indicate there are no fatalities and 18 customers with injuries have been transported to area hospitals.
“Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted. Delta has activated its Passenger Inquiry Center for family and loved ones of customers involved in today’s accident so they can connect with Delta for more information.”
An investigation is now beginning into what happened and there is plenty of speculation about the condition of the runway due to the weather conditions. Meteorologists say that there was blowing snow in Toronto and visibility was down to six miles at the time of the incident, with winds at 20 mph and gusts up to 37 mph. Temperatures were well below freezing, at -8C.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said: “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 as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, please take care and stay safe.”
Sourse: www.mirror.co.uk
