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Feb. 17 (UPI) -- A Delta Air Lines jet, flying in snowy conditions, overturned and landed upside down and burning on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon, with all 80 onboard surviving. Eighteen people were taken to hospitals after the crash of the plane that originated in Minneapolis, airport's Fire Chief Todd Aitken said during a news conference Monday night.
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One passenger, Pete Koukov, told CNN that he "didn't know anything was the matter" until there was a pretty hard landing at the airport in Mississauga near Toronto.
"We hit the ground, and we were sideways, and then we were upside down hanging like bats," Koukov said.
At a news conference Monday night, Greater Toronto Airports Authority CEO Deborah Flint said she was "very grateful" that there was no loss of life and only "relatively minor injuries" were sustained by some passengers, despite the plane flipping upside down.
Originally three people were listed as hospitalized in critical condition -- a man in his 60s, a woman in her 40s and a 4-year-old child, according to Peel Regional Paramedic Services. Fourteen others had mild injuries and were treated at hospitals.
Airport officials said "all passengers and crew are accounted for," according to a post X.
The incident occurred about 3:30 p.m. EST, the airport said.
Hill said airport emergency workers operated in a "textbook response" to the crash.
Aitken said "the runway was dry and there was no cross-wind conditions."
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said all aboard the overturned plane were evacuated, CBS News reported. The investigation will be led by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, but the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will send investigators to assist in Toronto.
The plane carried four crew members. Twenty-two of passengers were Canadians.
Delta flight 4819 was operated by Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta. The plane, a Bombardier CRJ900, is a twin-engine, short-haul, regional jet that seats 80.
A similar jet, a Bombardier CRJ700 operated by American Airlines, collided with an Army helicopter and both went into the Potomac River, killing all 67 onboard Jan. 29.
Visibility into the Toronto area was down to 6 miles at the time of the incident, with winds at 20 mph and gusts up to 37 mph, CBS News reported. Temperatures were below freezing at 17 degrees Fahrenheit.
Snow had been on the ground from the weekend.
All flights were halted, but resumed at 5 p.m. at the airport. Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport handled diverted flights.
Two runways will remain closed.
Nearly 25 years ago a plane crashed at the airport in a summer rainstorm.
In August 2005, Air France Flight 358, carrying 309 passengers and crew from Paris, skidded off the runway and burst into flames. Everyone onboard survived the crash.
What happened
The control tower warned the pilots of a possible air flow bump in the glide path as the plane comes into land.
A medical helicopter in the area assisted.
This is the transmission with the helicopter:
"LifeFlight 1, Medevac, just so you are aware there are people outside walking around the aircraft there," air traffic control says in audio obtained by CNN.
"Yeah, we've got it. The aircraft is upside down and burning," the helicopter pilot responds, according to the audio.
Koukov, the passenger who told CNN of his ordeal, said he unbuckled and pushed himself to the ground, and then walked out of the plane. He said some passengers needed help getting down from their seats.
"Just feeling lucky and happy I got to give the person I didn't know sitting next to me a big hug, that we were OK, and see my friends who are here to pick me up from the airport and give them a big hug," he said.
Another passenger, John Nelson, posted video after the crash.
He told CNN said he noticed gusty winds and a lot of snow on the runway as they approached.
"When we hit, it was just a super hard - it hit the ground, and the plane went sideways," Nelson said.
He said he saw "a big fireball" out of the left side of the plane.
"It was mass chaos," said Nelson, describing how he wounded up on the ceiling after unbuckling.
Reaction
Ontario Premier Doug Ford posted 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.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also wrote on Twitter: Thank you to the first responders, crew and airport staff for their quick actions and commitment to keeping everyone safe.
Delta canceled all flights into Toronto for the remainder of the day.
"The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today's incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a news release. "I want to express my thanks to the many Delta and Endeavor team members and the first responders on site."
Past planes upside down
In the past week people have survived small planes that wound up upside down.
On Sunday, a small plane crashed in a wooded area in Pearland, near Houston, and was upside down.
On Feb. 7, both people walked away from a small plane that landed upside down in south central California.
In 1987, Continental Airlines Flight 1713 skidded and flipped over during takeoff in a snowstorm at Denver's Stapleton International Airport. Twenty-eight people died among the 82 aboard died. It teetered in the air, hit the ground and broke into pieces.
