Why did a plane crash in Toronto, and how did everyone survive?
Passengers have described their amazement after most of them escaped unscathed from a plane that crash landed in Toronto on Monday afternoon.
Passengers have described their amazement after most of them escaped unscathed from a plane that crash landed in Toronto on Monday afternoon.
The Delta flight skidded along the runway in flames before flipping over and coming to a dramatic halt upside down, losing its tail and an entire wing in the process.
Some of the 80 people on board were then left hanging upside down while still strapped to their seats, before they scrambled over luggage to escape onto the snowy runway.
No-one died in the incident, which is under investigation.
Analysts have suggested the harsh winter weather may be to blame, or that the plane landed badly. They have also credited the plane's safety features with saving lives.
What happened when the plane crashed?
The incident took place shortly after 14:00 local time on Monday (19:00 GMT).
It involved a model CRJ-900 plane, operating as Delta Air Lines flight DL4819.
The aircraft arrived at Toronto from the US city of Minneapolis and was carrying 76 passengers and four crew members.
As it landed, the plane appears to have struck the runway, slid for some distance and then flipped over, observed Dan Ronan, a journalist and pilot licensed by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who spoke to BBC News.
In a video statement released on Tuesday, Transportation Safety Board senior investigator Ken Webster said that after the initial impact parts of the aircraft separated.
The fuselage came to rest slightly off the right side of the runway, upside down and facing the other direction, he said.
Footage obtained by TMZ showed part of the aircraft bursting into flames as the landing happened. Firefighters rushed to put these out.
Passenger Pete Carlson told broadcaster CBC it was "a very forceful event", recalling the sound of "concrete and metal" at the moment of impact.
He and others on board were suspended upside down in their seats, and had to release themselves on to the cabin ceiling before leaving the inverted aircraft.
All 80 people on board survived. On Tuesday morning, Delta said 21 injured passengers were initially transported to local hospitals - with 19 later released.
Delta has promised to give more updates.
Mr Webster said investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the wreckage as part of their investigation.
What's Your Reaction?
