A passenger who survived a plane crash in Toronto that saw a Delta flight flip upside down upon landing has described how passengers were “hanging like bats” in the plane after the incident.
Pete Koukov told CNN Monday night that everything seemed normal on Delta Connection flight 4819 as it approached its landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport at around 2:30 p.m. ET on Monday. The flight was on its way from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
However as it descended, the flight, operated by Endeavor Air, crashed at low altitude and rolled over on its back. Pictures show the plane’s wings and tail missing. Officials say it’s not immediately clear what cause the accident.
“Initial reports indicate there are no fatalities and 18 customers with injuries have been transported to area hospitals,” Delta said in a statement after the incident. “Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted.”
The flight was carrying a total of 80 people—76 passengers and four crew. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will be in charge of the investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
“We didn’t really know anything was the matter—at least I didn’t—until the second we hit the ground. There was no real indication of anything," Koukov told CNN.
“We hit the ground, then we were sideways,” he added, claiming passengers were “hanging like bats” and that the landing “was pretty hard.”
“I was able to unbuckle and fall and push myself to the ground and then some people were kid of hanging and needed some help being helped down. We all got off the plane and everyone was for the most part fine,” he said. “No one was seriously injured around me at least.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Koukov for comment.
Deborah Flint, president and CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority, confirmed in a press conference that there were no fatalities. Among the passengers taken to local hospitals, Flint added that no critical injuries were reported.
“No airport CEO wants to have these types of press conferences,” Flint said, while hailing first responders for their swift response to the emergency.
According to air traffic audio obtained by CBS, one controller can be heard saying, “The aircraft there’s upside down and burning.”
Another passenger, John Nelson, who also posted footage of the plane’s aftermath, told CNN that it was a “typical flight” but when the plane was coming in to land he noticed the “runways were in a weird condition.”
“It hit the ground and the plane went sideways and I believe we skidded on our side then flipped over on our back,” Nelson said, adding “there was a big fireball on the left side of the plane.”
“We were being tossed around,” Nelson said. “It was mass chaos... It’s amazing that we’re still here, hope to not to do that again.”
U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said FAA investigators are en route to Toronto. “I’ve been in touch with my counterpart in Canada to offer assistance and help with the investigation,” he wrote on X.
