18 Injured In Flipped CRJ 900 At Toronto (Updated)

There were no fatalities in CRJ 900 crash at Toronto Pearson Airport.

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New video has emerged showing a Delta CRJ900 landing hard and immediately losing its right wing before flipping and trailing fire on arrival at Toronto Pearson International Airport Monday. The crash injured 22 of the 80 people onboard. There were no fatalities among the 76 passengers and four crew members, but a child and two adults had serious injuries. The plane's wings and tail detached but the fuselage remained intact. The flight originated in Minneapolis and the crash occurred about 2:15 p.m. local time. Most of the occupants were U.S. citizens and 22 were Canadian.

The occupants were literally left hanging from their seatbelts and had to release themselves before making their way out of the upside-down fuselage. Many have posted video of their escape onto the ramp where the temperature was 17 degrees.

In media interviews all reported a firm arrival on Toronto's Runway 23 in a howling wind that was gusting to 40 knots from 270 degree, although fire officials said the runway was dry and there was no crosswind. Exactly what happened next isn't clear and no surveillance video has emerged. More details are expected as Canada's Transportation Safety Board and Transport Canada begin their investigation. The NTSB is also sending a team.

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.