The wreckage of an airliner that flipped over on a runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport is still being cleared, but flight operations at the airport are continuing today.
“The airport remains open with flights arriving and departing,” according to an advisory published on the airport’s website. “Passengers flying out today are advised to check the status of their flight before coming to the airport.”
Delta Connection flight 4819 crashed, burned and flipped over during a hard landing on the airport’s Runway 23 at around 2:15 p.m. on Monday. The flight, inbound from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport had 80 passengers and crew onboard. All were safely evacuated from the upside-down and burning CRJ-900 aircraft; no fatalities were reported, but 21 injured people were transported to local hospitals, according to media reports.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Flight operations at the airport were temporarily halted in the aftermath of the crash but resumed at 5 p.m. on Monday. Two runways remained closed, however, which could affect some operations, airport officials said.
Snowy, cold and icy conditions prevailed at the Toronto airport at the time of the crash, but it’s still unclear whether weather was a factor in the crash. Toronto Pearson is the busiest airport in Canada, with five runways and two passenger terminals that handle about 45 million travelers each year.
