All 80 aboard Delta flight survive after jet flips upon arrival in Toronto
Toronto (AP): A Delta Air Lines jet flipped on its roof while landing Monday at Toronto's Pearson Airport, but all 80 people on board survived and those hurt had relatively minor injuries, the airport's chief executive said.
Snow was being blown by winds gusting to 40 mph (65 kph) when the flight from Minneapolis carrying 76 passengers and four crew attempted to land on a dry runway at around 2:15 pm. Authorities said the cause of the crash remained under investigation.
Video posted to social media only showed the aftermath with the Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR overturned, the fuselage seemingly intact and firefighters dousing what was left of the fire as passengers climbed out and walked across the tarmac.
“We are very grateful there was no loss of life and relatively minor injuries,” Deborah Flint, CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority, told reporters.
Toronto Pearson Fire Chief Todd Aitken said 18 passengers were taken to the hospital. Earlier in the day, Ornge air ambulance said it was transporting one pediatric patient to Toronto's SickKids hospital and two injured adults to other hospitals in the city.
Tower controllers were heard speaking with the crew of a medical helicopter that had just left Pearson and was returning to help with the crash. The plane came to a rest at the intersection of Runways 23 and 15L, the controller said. That's not far from the start of the runway.
“Just so you're aware, there's people outside walking around the aircraft there,” a tower controller said.
“Yeah, we've got it. The aircraft is upside down and burning,” the medical helicopter pilot responded.
According to the Meteorological Service of Canada, the airport was experiencing blowing snow and winds of 32 mph (51 kph) gusting to 40 mph (65 kph). The temperature was about 16.5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8.6 degrees Celsius).
“It's very rare to see something like this,” said John Cox, CEO of aviation safety consulting firm Safety Operating Systems in St. Petersburg, Florida. “We've seen a couple of cases of takeoffs where airplanes have ended up inverted, but it's pretty rare.”
The audio recording from the tower at Toronto Pearson International Airport shows the flight was cleared to land at about 2:10 pm local time. The tower warned the pilots of a possible air flow bump in the glide path as the plane came in to land.
“It sounds to me like a controller trying to be helpful, meaning the wind is going to give you a bumpy ride coming down, that you're going to be up and down through the glide path," Cox said.
Cox, who flew for US Air for 25 years and has worked on National Transportation Safety Board investigations, said the CRJ-900 aircraft is a proven aircraft that's been in service for decades and does a good job of handling inclement weather.
“So it was windy. But the airplanes are designed and certified to handle that," Cox said. "The pilots are trained and experienced to handle that."
Among the questions that need to be answered, Cox said, was why the plane was missing a right wing.
“If one wing is missing, it's going to have a tendency to roll over,” he said. “Those are going to be central questions as to what happened to the wing and the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. They will be found, if not today, tomorrow, and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada will read them out and they will have a very good understanding of what actually occurred here.”
The last major crash at Pearson was on August 2, 2005, when an Airbus A340 landing from Paris skidded off the runway and burst into flames amid stormy weather. All 309 passengers and crew aboard Air France Flight 358 survived the crash.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada would head up the investigation and provide any updates. The NTSB in the US said it is leading a team to assist in the Canadian investigation.
This is at least the fourth major aviation mishap in North America in the past month. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near the nation's capital on January 29, killing 67 people. A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground, and 10 were killed in a plane crash in Alaska.
Ontario's Premier Doug Ford said on X he is "relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson.” Toronto is the capital of Ontario. “Provincial officials are in contact with the airport and local authorities and will provide any help that's needed,” Ford said.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement that “the hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today's incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he has been in touch with Delta about the crash.
Endeavor Air, based in Minneapolis, is a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines and the world's largest operator of CRJ-900 aircraft. The airline operates 130 regional jets on 700 daily flights to over 126 cities in the US, Canada and the Caribbean, according to the company's website.
The CRJ-900, a popular regional jet, was developed by Canadian aerospace company Bombardier. It's in the same family of aircraft as the CRJ-700, the type of plane involved in the midair collision near Reagan National Airport on January 29.
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Kharge says LPG crisis due to govt's lack of planning, BJP accuses Cong of creating anarchy
New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday held the government responsible for the current LPG crisis by not taking preemptive measures, evoking a sharp counter from Union Minister J P Nadda, who accused the Congress of trying to create anarchy in the country and indulging in politics instead.
Raising the matter during the Zero Hour in the House, Kharge accused the government of not doing advance planning and making alternative arrangements for LPG imports as the government "knew" that the West Asia crisis could impact critical maritime routes and energy supplies.
Rebutting him strongly, Nadda, who is also Leader of the House, accused opposition parties, especially Congress, of not standing with the people but of instigating them.
"The LPG crisis has caused widespread panic across the entire nation. Its impact is severely affecting the poor and vulnerable sections, the middle class, ordinary households, restaurants, hostels, and commercial users," Kharge said.
India imports nearly 60 per cent of its total LPG requirements. Of this, 90 per cent of imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. From this perspective, Kharge said the current situation has become a matter of serious concern for both domestic availability and price stability.
He said the effects of the LPG crisis are being felt in nearly every part of the country, and people in households are distressed.
Kharge sought to highlight that small roadside eateries, restaurants, hostels — all are impacted. From community kitchens to Ram Rasoi, everything has shut down. Not just homes — MSMEs and other commercial users are facing severe difficulties in obtaining LPG cylinders.
"It is concerning that many establishments have limited or completely halted their operations. Some are purchasing at exorbitant rates, over Rs 5,000 per cylinder," the senior Congress leader claimed.
Kharge further said that the Union Petroleum Minister had claimed in the Lok Sabha that there is no shortage of LPG and called for caution against rumours.
"But the ground reality proves the government's claims wrong," he added.
He said that when the government was issuing advisories to Indian citizens in Iran that the situation could worsen, it should have clearly stated that this could also impact critical maritime routes and energy supplies, and should have taken steps in advance.
"Government very well knew that a crisis was impending at the Strait of Hormuz. The situation would not have been that bad had advance planning and alternative arrangements for LPG imports done in advance," Kharge said.
He said the waiting period for cylinder bookings in the country has also been extended, now 25 days in cities and 45 days in villages/remote areas.
This has triggered panic booking and increased the likelihood of hoarding, he said.
The Congress leader questioned why the government did not take stringent measures if it knew that the LPG crisis in the country would escalate.
"Why didn't it take the people and opposition in confidence? This crisis exposes the government's dismal management and flawed foreign policy," he said, and demanded a discussion on the issue.
While Kharge was making his remarks, Chairman C P Radhakrishnan repeatedly asked him to conclude as only three minutes are allowed to a speaker during the Zero Hour. However, the Chair allowed him extra time.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had given a detailed response on the issue in the Lok Sabha, but Congress members did not hear him out.
The Minister said Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was given the floor in the Lower House to speak on the issue, but he spoke on other things instead.
Nadda lamented that the Opposition, especially the Congress, is not hesitating to indulge in politics even during times of crisis.
He said the current West Asia conflict is not due to India and has no contribution.
The senior BJP leader said a Congress leader has also been caught hoarding LPG cylinders.
"They are resorting to hoarding of cylinders. They are instigating people. They are inciting the peaceful people of the country, and this is very unfortunate that even in such a situation, they are indulging in politics.
"Instead of standing with the country, they are trying to create anarchy...This is condemnable," Nadda added.
