Landing crash: Delta Airlines plane flips over on runway in Toronto

A Delta Airlines plane crashed at Toronto airport on Monday February 17. The aircraft ended up upside down on the runway, with 80 people on board. The incident left 18 people injured, 3 of them seriously.

Spectacular images of the plane overturned on the tarmac made the rounds on social networks. A Delta Airlines aircraft crashed on the runway at Toronto's Pearson airport on Monday February 17. Taking off from Minneapolis with 76 passengers and 4 crew on board, the plane ended up upside down on the runway, reports ABC News. Miraculously, there were no fatalities in this astonishing incident, the causes of which are not yet known.

“There was no loss of life, and that's due in part to our heroic, trained professionals, our first responders at the airport,” said Deborah Flint, president and CEO of Toronto's Pearson Airport at a press briefing Monday evening. “Our priority is to take care of those affected,” Delta Airlines said in a statement. “A child was taken to hospital with critical injuries. A man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s have also been taken to hospital with serious injuries,” said a spokesman for Ornge, the rescue service on site.

Twelve other people suffered “minor to moderate” injuries, according to Lawrence Saindon of Peel Region Paramedic Services, who is overseeing the rescue operation. The investigation is now underway to determine why the plane overturned. According to Toronto Airport Fire Chief Todd Aitken, the runway was dry and there was no crosswind at the time of the accident. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will lead the investigation, with assistance from investigators from the U.S. Civil Aviation Authority (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board.

The crash occurred as heavy snow gusts were blowing through the region. Winds reached 65 km/h on the ground, and were even stronger several hundred meters in the air, the American TV station reported. Toronto airport had to temporarily suspend flights following the accident.