Delta jet flips in Toronto crash, 18 injured

A Delta Air Lines regional jet carrying 80 people crashed and flipped upside down while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, resulting in 18 injuries, including three critical cases, one involving a child. No fatalities were reported in the incident.

The CRJ900 aircraft, operated by Delta's subsidiary Endeavor Air, had departed from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and completed an 86-minute flight before the accident occurred at 2:13 p.m. local time. The 16-year-old Bombardier-manufactured aircraft was carrying 76 passengers and four crew members when it came to rest inverted near the intersection of runways 23 and 15.

Air traffic control communications revealed that the aircraft was "upside down and burning" upon emergency crews' arrival, with passengers observed walking around the crash site. Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken stated that despite earlier reports of challenging weather conditions, the runway was dry with no crosswind conditions at the time of the incident.

The accident occurred following a weekend snowstorm that had deposited more than 22 centimeters of snow at the airport, causing previous flight disruptions. However, officials emphasized that it's too early to speculate on the cause of the crash, which is under investigation by Canadian authorities.

This incident follows recent aviation accidents in North America, including a medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia that claimed seven lives in late January, and an Army helicopter collision with a passenger jet in Washington, DC, resulting in 67 fatalities.

The crash has led to expectations of delays and cancellations at Toronto's airport as investigations continue into the cause of this unusual landing incident.