Officials are warning of ongoing delays at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Tuesday following a crash on the tarmac that left 21 passengers injured on Monday afternoon.
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Officials say the injuries sustained by passengers included back sprains, head injuries, and nausea and vomiting due to fuel exposure.
Twenty members of the TSB are now on site at Pearson airport to investigate Monday’s plane crash.
Investigators are expected to be reviewing the wreckage on the tarmac for the next 48 hours, Greater Toronto Airports Authority CEO Deborah Flint told reporters during an update at the airport on Tuesday afternoon.
Flint said after two back-to-back snowstorms, Monday was expected to be an “operational recovery day” to make up for flights that were impacted by the inclement weather.
She said the Delta crash led to hundreds of additional cancelled flights on Monday. Of the 1,006 scheduled flights on Monday, 462 were cancelled.
Two runways at the airport, including the longest north-south runway and the longest east-west runway, are currently closed at the airport, Flint said.
Flint says that the crew members on board the Delta Airlines flight that crashed upon landing at Pearson airport on Monday are all “heroes” for their “textbook” response to the incident.
“The crew on Delta flight 4819 heroically led passengers to safety, evacuating a jet that had overturned on the runway on landing amid smoke and fire. I thank each and everyone of these heroes,” Flint said at a briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
Officials at Pearson are expected to provide an update on the incident at 12 p.m.
In a social media post on Tuesday morning, Delta Airlines confirmed that 21 people were initially transported to hospital after the crash and 19 have since been released.
“Our most pressing priority remains taking care of all customers and Endeavor crew members who were involved,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in the online post.
“We’ll do everything we can to support them and their families in the days ahead, and I know the hearts, thoughts and prayers of the entire Delta community are with them. We are grateful for all the first responders and medical teams who have been caring for them.”
Delta flights have resumed at Pearson, the airline said.
Delta teams continue to respond to Monday’s single-aircraft accident involving Delta Connection Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air.
— Delta (@Delta) February 18, 2025
In total, 21 injured passengers were initially transported to local hospitals. As of Tuesday morning, 19 have been released.
“Our most pressing…
CTV News Aviation Specialist Phil Durdey says that the flight data recorder will be key to the investigation as it will tell us how fast the aircraft was travelling when it hit the runway.
He said that while video that appears to show the crash suggests that the aircraft’s right wing was low prior to impact, it was “well within” the range of normal given the crosswinds on the runway at the time.
“We just have to figure out what went wrong. Something happened right at that last minute and we will find out,” Durdey told CP24.
Video posted on social media shows the moment the plan struck the tarmac, caught fire, and flipped onto its roof.
🔴 Vidéo impressionnante du crash du CRJ900 de Delta, hier soir à l’aéroport de Toronto.
— air plus news (@airplusnews) February 18, 2025
▫️Aucune victime à déplorer. pic.twitter.com/TJoxd6KFCd
PC Leader Doug Ford’s campaign stop in Sault Ste. Marie was put on hold today after his team said his flight from Pearson was cancelled.
Delays and cancellations have been reported at the airport this morning following the plane crash. Officials confirm that two of the airport’s five runways are shut down this morning.
Officials are expected to provide an update later today on the fiery plane crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon.
With files from CTV News Toronto’s Alex Arsenych