A plane en route from Minnesota flipped upside down after landing during a crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, injuring at least 19 people.
Aviation expert Scott Hamilton told Newsweek that several factors could be behind the flip, but pointed to the strong winds and icy, snowy weather in the region at the time of the crash.
Why It Matters
At least 19 people were injured, three critically, when the plane crashed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, the Associated Press reported. One of the critically injured passengers was a child.
A video posted by News Channel3 Now showed a Delta Air Lines plane overturned on a snow-covered tarmac, with passengers walking away from the wreckage.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada told Newsweek it is deploying a team of investigators following the crash. The TSB, an independent agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline and rail transportation occurrences, said it will gather information and assess the incident.
Teresa Barbieri/The Canadian Press via AP
What To Know
Hamilton, who has four decades of experience in the aviation industry, told Newsweek that commercial planes flipping upon landing are “rare but not unknown.”
He said that flipping can be caused by weather conditions, approach speeds, thruster viability and breaking anomalies, among other factors. In this case, Hamilton said strong winds and snow in Toronto could have played a role in the crash.
At the time of the incident, the Toronto airport was experiencing blowing snow and winds of 32 mph, gusting to 40 mph, according to the Meteorological Service of Canada. Temperatures had dropped to below-freezing at 16.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hamilton said investigators from Transport Canada and the TSB “will be looking at runway conditions, looking at if it skidded along the runway and flipped.”
He added that investigators may also be looking for potential obstacles the plane could have hit, causing it to flip, including a snow bank at the edge or end of the runway.
“Looking at the videos [of the crash], there looks like there was also a lot of wind out there,” said Hamilton, the managing director for the Leeham Company, which provides aviation intelligence. “lnvestigators…will look at whether there was a wind shear. A wind shear refers to a sudden change in wind speed and/or direction.”
“It could have caught the wing and lifted it, causing it to flip,” he added.
Hamilton said that wind shear combined with an icy runway would make dangerous conditions for a flip.
Other possibilities that investigators will explore include looking at whether both engine thrusts deployed correctly, as if only one worked, it could cause the airplane to swerve, and the braking action of the plane, he said. As a matter of routine, they will also assess the pilot for alcohol and drug use and check their training record.
Hamilton told Newsweek that regardless of its cause, the passengers and crew aboard the flight, which took off from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, were lucky to have all survived.
“This was incredibly lucky that there wasn’t a major fire or explosion,” he said, explaining that when in other crashes where the plane has been flipped and lost a wing, there is often severe fuel leakage.
Monday’s crash is the fifth serious aviation incident since late January, including the crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C., between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane that left 67 dead.
But Hamilton does not believe they are connected.
“It’s just coincidence,” he said. “There has been no common thread with them.”
What People Are Saying
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who represents Toronto, on X: “I’m relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson. Provincial officials are in contact with the airport and local authorities and will provide any help that’s needed.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, on X: “I’m in touch with Delta after a flight taking off from MSP crash landed in Toronto this afternoon. Grateful to the first responders and professionals on the scene.”
Constable Sarah Patten of the Peel Regional Police in Ontario told Reuters: “There is a plane crash. However, we don’t know the circumstances surrounding it at this point. It is my understanding that most of the passengers are out and unharmed but we’re still trying to make sure so we’re still on scene investigating.”
What Happens Next
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has already launched an investigation into the crash.
Update: 2/17/25, 6:21 p.m. ET: The headline on this article has been updated for clarity.
