Delta Air Lines Survivor Describes ‘Mass Chaos’ Before Plane Flipped Upside-Down

A Delta Air Lines passenger recounted the dramatic final moments that led up to the plane’s crash-landing and subsequent flip at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, the NY Post reports.

John Nelson, one of the 80 fortunate individuals who survived the crash aboard Delta Flight 4819, described the scene as chaotic, with 18 people sustaining injuries in the incident.

Nelson spoke with CNN, commenting on the unusual state of the runways at the Canadian airport.

“It was a typical flight from Minneapolis to Toronto,” he said. “As we were approaching, I could tell the winds were incredibly gusty. The snow had blown across the runways, so it seemed like a regular flight, but it was clear that the runways were in a strange condition.”

He continued by describing the moment of impact: “When we landed, it was an extremely hard hit. We slammed into the ground, the plane veered sideways, and I think we skidded on our side and flipped over onto our back.”

Nelson also shared his experience once the plane came to a halt, recalling, “I saw a large fireball on the left side of the plane,” as it flipped over, leaving the passengers “upside down.”

“Thankfully, everyone was okay. It was total chaos… It’s an emotional rollercoaster you go through, but it’s something you hope never to experience again,” he said.

“We rushed to get out as fast as we could. Not long after, there was another explosion, but fortunately, the firefighters were there quickly,” he added.

The flight, which was managed by Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta, departed Minneapolis around 11:47 a.m. and crashed at approximately 2:15 p.m.

Miraculously, all 80 people on board, including 76 passengers and four crew members, managed to escape before the plane caught fire.

Eighteen people were injured, with three in critical condition, including one child.

At the time, the exact cause of the plane’s flip on the snow-covered runway was still unknown.

The Bombardier CRJ-900LR aircraft was left with one wing severely damaged and the tail section partially torn off.

Harrowing footage shared by Storyful shows two firefighters leaping out of a side door and sprinting away from the aircraft mere seconds before a massive explosion erupted from the fuselage.

This incident marked the first major event involving a commercial passenger jet since the Jan. 29 crash involving an Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines flight 5342 at Ronald Reagan National Airport, where 67 passengers and crew tragically lost their lives.

{Matzav.com}