Delta Air Lines Toronto crash has marked yet another aviation accident in 2025. This time people are wondering why the plane had flipped upside down when it landed on the Pearson Airport runway
The world watched on in horror yesterday (Monday 17) as another plane has crashed just months into 2025, marking for a catastrophic start to the new year.
But, miraculously, all passengers and crew survived when the Delta Air Lines flight plummeted to the tarmac at Toronto Pearson Airport, with 18 out of 80 on board being treated for injuries.
Footage has now been released of the Delta flight 4819, originating from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, US, after it had crash-landed on the runway just after 3:30pm (local time).
However, people were quick to notice that the plane had bizarrely landed upside down on it’s back before passengers could crawl out through the vessel onto the safety of the tarmac.
And now everyone is asking – why? Below, we attempt to find out the answer to the ‘rare’ crash-landing phenomenon – but even the experts struggle to piece it together…
Why did the Delta Air Toronto flight land on its back?
So far there has been 87 aviation accidents in the US this year, according to data collected from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Though, this seems to be the first crash incident that has seen the plane land on its back. But, this isn’t the first time that an air vessel has landed upside in history, albeit unusual.
Although there is no specific answer as to why the Toronto Delta Air flight landed in this position as of yet, experts have speculated that it’s most likely due to the snowy and windy weather the Canadian capital city is currently experiencing.
While the weather is one factor, it’s an accumulation of conditions that could have resulted into the terrifying air flip, say experts.
Aviation Scott Hamilton expert spoke to Newsweek about his theory of ‘strong winds’ and ‘snow’ contributing to inverting the plane, although it has now come to light that there were no ‘cross wind’ interference.
Cross winds can prove hazardous to any moving vehicle, not just planes, which can cause the vessel to drift. Aviation expert Hamilton added that plane flipping could also be caused by the speed of approach and ‘irregularities’ in braking and thruster viability.
Adding to the plane flip phenomena, John Cox, CEO of aviation safety consulting firm Safety Operating Systems in Florida, spoke to The Associated Press and said: “We’ve seen a couple of cases of takeoffs where aeroplane have ended up inverted, but it’s pretty rare.”
Cox, who used to be a pilot and flew with US Air for 25 years, commented that the CRJ900 – the model in the Toronto crash – is made to withstand these weather conditions.
Pointing out reasons as to why the aircraft crashed and landed in such a position, he noted that the plane was also missing its right wing.
Experts still do not have a definitive answer, but it looks like it could be an accumulation of events to create the ‘perfect’ condition for the plane flip.
What is the latest on the Toronto Delta Air crash?
In a press conference, airport officials have now confirmed that the run way was dry and there were no ‘cross winds’ that could have impacted the flight – making the crash more baffling.
“What we can say is that the run way was dry and there were no crosswind conditions,” the Toronto Pearson Airport Fire Chief Todd Aitken told press.
He continued: “We also wanted to give an update, we can now confirm that 18 injured passengers have been transported to the local area hospitals.
“We had one additional passenger recently transported to a hospital.”
Toronto Pearson Airport President Deborah Flint confirmed that there has been no loss of life and that there has been “relatively minor injuries.”
She announced that some passengers and crew have already been reunited, while others are receiving care and support at the airport.
In full, the Airport President said: “We’re very grateful that there is no loss of life and relatively minor injuries. We are very focused on the care and the concern of the passengers and the crew – some of whom have already been reunified with their friends and their families.
“Others, we have got in a comfortable place right here at the airport in an environment where they are getting a lot of care and support from my staff.”
Audio recordings have now been released that revealed the control tower warned pilots of a possible “bump” in air flow on their descent.