Delta plane from Minneapolis crash-lands and ends up upside down at Toronto airport

A Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis crash-landed in Toronto on Monday, completely upending before coming to a stop upside down on an airport runway.

The crash at the Toronto Pearson International Airport sent 18 to the hospital. No fatalities have been reported.

The flight was operated by Endeavor Air, a wholly owned regional subsidiary of Delta that is headquartered in Minneapolis.

Endeavor 4819 departed the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport shortly after 11:34 a.m. Monday, about an hour late, according to FlightAware.com. It crashed in Toronto at about 2:15 p.m. Eastern time, according to Delta.

James Zook said his sister Ashley Zook, whose social media profile indicates she lives in Mound, was on the plane for a business trip to Toronto. He said his sister, who uploaded a video of the ordeal on Snapchat, had talked to her family and that she was doing fine.

“I’m glad that my sister is all right, and I’m glad that the passengers are also all right,” he said.

Out of 80 people on board, at least 17 were hospitalized with injuries, none of which were life-threatening, said Deborah Flint, president and chief executive of the Toronto airport, at a news conference. Another injured passenger was transported after the others, bringing the total hospitalized to 18, the airport later confirmed. As of late Monday night, Delta said some of the passengers had been released.

Flint’s comments came after the Associated Press reported 18 injuries and three people with critical injuries. Flint did not take questions from reporters after making a brief statement Monday evening. She credited the “heroic” first responders at the airport for tending to passengers and crew members quickly.

“We are very grateful there was no loss of life and relatively minor injuries,” she said.

Hours after the incident, it remained unclear how the crash unfolded. Weather conditions at Toronto Pearson on Monday included wind gusts up to 40 mph with chances of snowfall, according to AccuWeather.

“The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian in a statement. “I want to express my thanks to the many Delta and Endeavor team members and the first responders on site.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he was in touch with Delta about the incident.

“Grateful to the first responders and professionals on the scene,” he said in a statement on social media.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said it was a “miracle” no fatalities were reported and praised the crew of the flight for helping passengers escape.

Photos and videos of a passenger plane upside down on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport began to circulate around 2 p.m. Monday on the X social media platform.

In an early afternoon statement posted on X, the airport said all those on board were “accounted for.” That included 76 passengers and four crew members, according to Delta.

A Delta spokesperson didn’t return requests for additional information Monday.

The crash is the latest in a recent string of high-profile aviation incidents.

A commercial jetliner collided with an Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, killing 67 people. A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing six people. And 10 people were killed in a crash in Alaska on Feb. 6.

Regional carriers are separate entities that fly under the guise of a major airline. Endeavor, flying as Delta Connection, has its own work crews of pilots, flight attendants and maintenance. Commercial airlines, like Delta, contract many of their smaller routes to regional carriers. Passengers may not realize they are flying on a regional airline as tickets, aircraft logos and cabin interiors all reflect the major carrier.

Hassan Shahidi, president and chief executive of the Virginia-based Flight Safety Foundation, said harsh weather conditions while flying create a very difficult landing situation, noting 40 mph winds are strong enough to flip over a plane.

The weather conditions, speed and stability of the aircraft when approaching the runway and the safety measures implemented by crew are all potentially critical factors, Shahidi said.

“It’s the responsibility of the crew to ensure that the right landing conditions and the appropriate safety measures are all taken into account when landing in an airport,” said Shahidi. “They are responsible for making sure they understand that and make a determination as to whether to land there or hold or go to another airport.”

The plane that crashed is a CRJ-900, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The crash will be investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

Records on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission show Endeavor has 131 planes in its fleet, 122 of which are CRJ-900s made by Bombardier.

Online records with the National Transportation Safety Board show investigations of five incidents – including three accidents – between January 2016 and September 2024. Only the latest report resulted in an injury, according to the NTSB: An on-the-ground crash between two planes before takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sept. 10 which left one flight attendant with minor injuries, according to a crash report.

Despite the recent string of plane crashes, North America has a very safe air transportation system with thousands of aircraft safely traveling every day between airports, said Shahidi, noting there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the system.

“There is no relationship between any of these,” Shahidi said. “These are all unique. They happen for unique situations or unique circumstances, and they’re being investigated.”

This story contains material from the Associated Press.