THE shocking crash of a Delta Air Lines plane in Toronto became the latest in a spate of high-profile aviation disasters that have rocked American flyers over the past month.
The latest incident saw a Delta aircraft immediately erupt in a fireball when it touched down in Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, skidding on the runway and eventually overturning completely.
Passengers leave a Delta Air Lines CRJ-900 jet after it crashed on landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on Monday.
The crash in Canada follows several fatal disasters in Arizona, Philadelphia, Alaska, and Washington DC.
Yet, despite the shocking trend, an aviation expert and attorney spoke exclusively to The U.S. Sun and shared the surprising reason for the terrifying pattern.
Jason Matzus, an attorney at Matzus Law, insisted flying is still the safest form of travel and the crashes can be attributed to “random clustering.”
“Naturally, recent plane crashes such as the Delta plane flipping on landing in Toronto and the midair collision at Reagan National in DC, have raised public awareness and concerns about the safety of flying,” Matzus told The U.S. Sun.
“While these events are tragic, the likely explanation is simply ‘random clustering,’ which occurs when multiple crashes occur over a short period, warping our general perception and causing us to think that there is an increasing trend in plane crashes, when in reality these crashes, despite being so close together, are merely coincidental and not caused by a systemic safety issue.
“Our perception of an increasing trend is often amplified by media coverage.
“The reality remains that air travel is statistically the safest form of travel and the spate of recent crashes isn’t necessary indicative of an actual increase in frequency of plane crashes.”
On Tuesday, Deborah Flint, the CEO and president of Toronto Pearson International Airport, reassured travelers that the facility is safe but operating with delays due to ongoing winter weather conditions and closed runways.
“Air travel remains the safest form of transportation, we are proud of that record here,” Flint declared.
Flint said the airport and surrounding areas were impacted by “extreme conditions” in the days leading up to the crash.
Two separate snowstorms on Thursday and Sunday brought more than 20 inches of accumulation in the area.
“So many factors led us to have gratitude today,” Flint added.
The airport CEO called the survival of all passengers and crew “really incredible.”
Jaw-dropping footage of the crash in Canada showed the commercial airliner, which originated from Minneapolis, skidding on the icy tarmac before coming to a halt.
Video shared on social media showed first responders desperately evacuating passengers and crew members from the burning Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft, which was overturned on the runway.
All 80 passengers and crew members onboard the aircraft survived.
At least 21 people were treated for injuries – two were airlifted to trauma centers for critical but non-life-threatening injuries.
Cory Tkatch, a member of the Peel Regional Paramedic Services, said first responders faced multiple injuries, including “back sprains, head injuries, anxiety, some headaches, nausea and vomiting” after being exposed to the jet fuels.
Dramatic footage from inside the aircraft showed passengers scrambling to escape the downed plane.
Flight attendants can be heard shouting in the clip, “Everything, drop it. Come on!”
Another video posted on social media showed a terrified passenger hanging upside down, still strapped to her seat.
The panicked woman can be seen crying and captioned her post, “My plane crashed. I’m upside down.”
A passenger named John Nelson shared a video from the scary scene on Facebook on Monday.
“We just landed,” he said in a video showing the aircraft upside down.
“Our plane crashed, it’s upside down. The fire department is on site.
“Most people appear to be okay. We’re all getting off, [there’s] some smoke going on.”
Toronto Airport Fire Chief Todd Aitken said during Tuesday’s press conference that most of the passengers “self-evacuated” from the aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are investigating the crash.
Source: The U.S. Sun