US Passenger Plane Overturns and Catches Fire While Landing in Toronto
Miraculous Zero Fatalities
"Thanks to Aircraft Design and Quick Response by Rescue Teams and Crew"
On the 17th (local time), a Delta Air Lines passenger plane overturned during landing at Toronto Airport in Canada, but all 80 passengers survived, leading to it being hailed as a 'miracle.' Experts analyzed that this miracle was thanks to the aircraft's safety-conscious design and the quick and calm response of the rescue teams and crew members.
The aircraft was Delta Connection Flight 4819, which departed from Minneapolis and arrived in Toronto. During the landing process, the right wing struck the runway, causing the plane to flip over. The impact also caused some explosions, subjecting passengers to a strong shock.
What could have turned into a major disaster was averted as the fire was quickly extinguished and passengers evacuated promptly, resulting in all 80 onboard surviving miraculously. Delta Air Lines reported that 21 passengers were transported to hospitals due to injuries, and all but two of them were discharged before the morning of that day.
Passengers escaping from an overturned passenger plane at Toronto Airport on the 17th (local time). Photo by CNN
According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 18th, experts analyzed that this miracle was due to the aircraft's safety-conscious design and the quick and calm response of the rescue teams and crew members. Graham Braceweight, head of the aviation department at Cranfield University in the UK, stated, "The fact that no fatalities occurred despite the aircraft being upside down on the runway tells us a lot about how the aircraft was designed, how the rescue teams responded, and the roles the crew played."
He explained that the passenger seats not detaching from the floor, the sturdy construction of the seat belts, and the smooth surface design to prevent severe injuries when passengers hit the seat in front of them all helped reduce risks in such overturning accidents.
In fact, eyewitnesses at the scene reported that most passengers were safely protected thanks to their seat belts immediately after the accident. Pete Carlson, a passenger, said in an interview with Canadian CBC that he was "completely hanging upside down" until he personally unfastened his seat belt right after the accident. Another passenger, John Nelson, recalled in a CNN interview that he was wearing his seat belt and "was hanging upside down, as were others."
Delta Air Lines passenger plane overturned on the runway at Toronto Airport. Photo by Reuters=Yonhap News
The calm response of the crew also played a crucial role. Immediately after landing, as the aircraft overturned, passengers were hanging upside down inside the cabin, and some struggled to unfasten their seat belts due to extreme fear. The crew walked among the inverted passengers and gave concise instructions to "leave everything and exit through the emergency exits," swiftly evacuating the passengers. Rescue workers assisted passengers as they exited outside the emergency exits.
Braceweight emphasized the importance of crew members quickly giving simple instructions such as "Please unfasten your seat belts" to prevent passengers from panicking. He explained, "It seems obvious, but in a panic state, people may find it difficult to figure out what to do next."
Deborah Flint, CEO of Toronto Pearson Airport, praised the response of the airport personnel, saying, "The absence of casualties was thanks to the heroic and well-trained professionals and rescue teams at the airport." She added, "The airport's emergency response personnel arrived on the scene within minutes and quickly evacuated the passengers." Braceweight said, "Looking at the photos from the scene, it seems like something else could have happened, but the fortunate outcome shows that everyone made tremendous efforts."
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