A passenger who survived the Delta Airlines crash spoke about the harrowing experience.
On February 17, a plane with 76 passengers and four crew members crashed while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada.
Upon impact, the aircraft flipped upside down, suspending everyone onboard in mid-air.
Though 18 people were injured, all passengers survived.
John Nelson, a passenger on the flight from Minneapolis to Toronto, recounted his experience.
In an interview with CNN, John described the moments before the crash.
“It was a typical flight from Minneapolis to Toronto,” he noted. “And we were coming in, and I did notice the winds were super gusty.
“The snow had kinda blown over the runways. So coming it was routine but it was noticeable that the runways were in kind of a weird condition.”
He continued: “When we hit, it was super hard. We hit the ground and the plane went sideways and I believe we skidded on our side and flipped over on our back.”
After the plane stopped, John observed ‘a big fireball on the left side of the plane’.
He described the scene as ‘mass chaos’, especially with everyone hanging upside down in their seats.
“We kind of let ourselves go and fell to hit the ceiling,” John recalled the immediate aftermath.
“It was a surreal feeling. And then everyone was just like, ‘Get out! Get out! Get out!'”
He added: “We could smell jet fuel. Even now I smell like jet fuel.”
Firefighters arrived promptly, allowing everyone to evacuate before more of the plane caught fire.
The incident has been called a ‘miracle’ since the plane did not explode and all survived.
“The fact this plane did not explode in flames because of the amount of jet fuel is nothing short of a miracle,” a YouTube commenter noted. “Thank god all the souls on this flight survived.”
Another person expressed similar sentiments: “This was a miracle. I hope the survivors will eventually fully recover from physical and psychological injuries.”
Praising the emergency services, someone mentioned: “Incredible there were not any fatalities. Someone give those first responders a raise, they were quick and effective and saved lives.”