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Air traffic control audio of Delta Connection Flight 4819, which crashed and flipped over on to its roof at Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday, has been released. Miraculously, despite the incredible damage to the plane, all 80 people – 76 passengers and four crew members – that were on board survived.
The audio reveals air traffic controllers warned the pilots of the Delta CRJ-900 jet operated by Endeavor Air, flying from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, that they “might get a slight bump” when the plane landed.
In audio following the crash, an air traffic controller stating, “We need crash, fire and rescue on the runway. We need emergency services Runway 23.”
Further along in the audio, another person appears to be discussing whether Medivac needs to deploy to the scene of the crashed Delta plane. And at another point, someone can be heard saying, “Just so you are there’s people outside walking around the aircraft.” Another person then replies, “Yeah, we’ve got the aircraft upside down and burning.”
Full ATC AUDIO-Delta Airline Plane FLIPS on landing at Toronto airport. Listen in to the reaction from air traffic controllers in real time. pic.twitter.com/3s30PAgHgf
— Mr.Ineffable (@MisterIneffable) February 18, 2025
The New York Post reports that while everyone somehow survived the crash, at least 18 people were injured. One of the injured was a 4-year-old child that was taken to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, while two others were taken by air ambulance to two different trauma centers, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center and St. Michael’s Hospital.
According to CNN, David Soucie, a former Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector, said that the wings ripped off the plane by design when it crashed. He also cited improved safety and stronger, more secure seats for ensuring that the crash wasn’t “much worse.”
“You don’t want that wing ripping the fuselage in half,” he said. “You want to make sure that it breaks away as it’s supposed to let that aircraft slowly come to a stop and that really saved a lot of lives.”
Peter Goelz, a former National Transportation Safety Board managing director, also told CNN, “The airplane was designed to take a hit like this,” adding, ” Always keep your seat belt snugly fastened. It will save your life.”