A passenger on the Delta Air Lines flight that crash-landed upside down at Toronto Pearson International Airport captured the dramatic evacuation on his phone, offering a fresh look from inside the damaged cabin. Thankfully, all 80 passengers and crew members on board made it out safely.
Pete Koukov, a skier known for his popular social media presence, recorded the unbelievable scene from his own viewpoint as he navigated the overturned aircraft, walking along the ceiling before exiting through a rear door. "Feeling alive is pretty amazing today," he wrote in the caption of his Instagram post, expressing gratitude for surviving the crash along with the other 79 people on board.
Chilling Scene
He began filming near the exit as flight attendants helped passengers in evacuating through the side door of Delta Flight 4819. Later, he shared the video on Instagram.
The clip offers a glimpse inside the chaotic cabin, where tray tables had broken loose and hung from the seat backs. Luggage was scattered across the aisle as flight attendants directed passengers to leave their belongings behind while exiting.
The flight attendants repeatedly told passengers to put their phones away and stop recording, but Koukov kept filming the aftermath and continued even after exiting the plane.
The footage captures passengers being helped by people on the ground as they evacuated. While many walked straight away from the aircraft, Koukov moved toward the front, seemingly to get a closer look at the wreckage.
The wing closest to the emergency exit had broken in half, and scorch marks covered the side of the aircraft. Black skid marks were also visible near the air turbine.
Overwhelmed by shock, Koukov muttered several expletives as he stared in disbelief at the wreckage. "Yo, I was just on this f—ing plane! Oh my God," he said.
Completely in Shock
Emergency crews quickly doused the aircraft with fire suppressant to put out the flames on the opposite side while passengers hurried away to safety. This came as it was revealed that all passengers escaped the plane and those hurt had relatively minor injuries, the airport's chief executive said.
Strong winds, gusting up to 40 mph (65 kph), blew snow across the area as the flight from Minneapolis, carrying 76 passengers and four crew members, attempted to land on a dry runway around 2:15 p.m. Officials said that the cause of the crash was still under investigation.
"We are very grateful there was no loss of life and relatively minor injuries," Deborah Flint, CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority, told reporters.
The air traffic control recording from Toronto Pearson International Airport reveals that the flight was given clearance to land at around 2:10 p.m. local time. As the aircraft approached, the tower cautioned the pilots about a potential disturbance in air flow along the glide path.
