Users Speculate on the Cause of Delta Plane Crash After Watching the Video

At the beginning of the week, a Delta Air Lines plane crash-landed in Canada without any fatalities. Videos from the crash have led to speculations about the type of landing made by the pilots.

On February 18, 2025, TMZ released new footage showing the moment a Delta Air Lines Connection plane crash-landed at Canada's Toronto Pearson Airport. Seeing the clip, which shows the impact and explosion as soon as the plane's wheels touched down, led to theories about the cause.

The February 17 incident stood out because the plane flipped upside down before catching fire upon impact. One person who saw the video wrote, "This is insane," while someone else theorized, "Finally the actual landing. Thanks! Appears to hard land, lose wings, then roll?"

A netizen agreed, "yeah looks like a hard landing. [sic]" Another YouTube user noted, "That was a hard landing, it snaped [sic] off the wing. How did those people survive?"

Even Reddit users got involved, with someone calling the landing a "Textbook hard landing. This could've been much worse." Another person noted, "Landed too hard/short. So glad everyone survived that!"

Someone else questioned, "Hard landing collapsed the wheels or maybe they touched down early because of poor visibility and [sic] the wheels got torn off?" Seeing the clip on TikTok, one distressed user asked, "WHAT is happening [?] 😭🙏"

Another netizen wrote, "Hard landing, landing gear collapsed, causing wing tip to dig in, ripping the wing off causing it to roll over. [sic]" A TikToker speculated, "It almost looks like the plane landed hard on the right side sending the right main landing gear into the fuel cell and then may have cause the flip over🤔 [sic]."

The Delta plane was carrying 80 people when it burst into flames while landing on an icy Toronto runway. Upon impact, the Delta Air Lines Bombardier CR900 burst into flames and appeared to flip.

Toronto Pearson Airport's air traffic control has since released audio recordings revealing the tension that followed the accident. The recordings captured the initial reactions and emergency response efforts.

The crash occurred in the afternoon when Delta Connection flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, departed from Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport. It tried to land amid strong winds, and soon after the crash, an air traffic controller was heard announcing, "This airplane just crashed."

Moments later, a different voice confirmed the severity of the situation, stating, "The aircraft there's upside down and burning. [sic]" Then someone also observed, "Just so you're aware, there's [sic] people also walking around the aircraft there."

Emergency responders were immediately dispatched, with at least one MedEvac aircraft assisting. According to reports, the plane tackled gusts of wind up to 40 miles per hour at ground level while attempting to land.

The high winds are believed to have played a role in the crash. All 76 passengers and four crew members survived the crash, but at least 18 people sustained injuries, three of whom were in critical condition.

Among those critical is a four-year-old child who was transported to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. The other two critically injured individuals were airlifted to separate trauma centers in Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and St. Michael's Hospital.

The airport immediately halted operations, and flights were temporarily suspended as emergency crews worked to manage the situation. Two runways were sealed off, and reinforcements from the U.S. were recruited.

Normal operations resumed at approximately 5 p.m. Since the incident, some key figures have spoken out, offering support and gratitude for those involved in the response efforts.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian posted on LinkedIn, "The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today's incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport. I want to express my thanks to the many Delta and Endeavor team members and the first responders on site."

He continued, "We are working to confirm the details and will share the most current information on news.delta.com as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, please take care and stay safe."

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also tackled the matter, writing on X, "I'm relieved to learn that all passengers and crew are accounted for after today's plane crash at Toronto Pearson. Thank you to the first responders, crew, and airport staff for their quick actions and commitment to keeping everyone safe."

Canadian authorities are still working to determine the cause of the crash.