Toronto Delta Plane Crash Survivor's Q&A Goes Viral: 'In Shock'

A passenger who survived a plane crash in Toronto, Canada, has taken to Reddit to answer questions about the terrifying ordeal. The viral post—titled "I was on the flight that crashed today in Toronto. AMA!"—was shared by u/LandscapeSudden3469 in the r/AMA (Ask Me Anything) subreddit. It has garnered more than 39,000 upvotes since it was posted on February 18. The passenger, who did not share their name or age but told Newsweek that they're from the United States, was traveling for work when the Delta Air Lines flight crashed during landing at Toronto Pearson Airport. "I have a family and two young kids at home," the survivor said.

On February 17, the flight operated by Minneapolis-based Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta, attempted to land in Toronto after departing from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR aircraft, carrying 76 passengers and four crew members, flipped onto its roof while landing amid winds gusting up to 40 mph and snow blowing across the area. All 80 people onboard survived. The airport's chief executive later confirmed that injuries suffered were relatively minor. In the viral Reddit post, the passenger reassured users that they were physically safe. "I'm safe, healthy and only slightly in shock at a hotel near the airport. Happy to share my experience, insight and...whatever else. It's nice to talk through trauma. Indulge me," the poster wrote in the caption. The passenger said they turned to Reddit because they had no one to talk to immediately after the crash. The passenger told Newsweek: "When I first posted, I was alone in my room with no one to talk to about what happened. My family didn't take the news well, and I didn't want to bring them any more stress on my behalf. I wanted to do something positive and productive, and as a Reddit user, the best idea I had was an AMA."

'Had The Thought That I Was Likely Going To Die'

Redditors asked a range of questions, from what the landing felt like to the psychological impact of surviving a plane crash. User Emotional-Strike7037 asked: "Can you describe the landing? When did you realize that something is wrong?" The passenger recounted the sequence of events to Newsweek, describing a seemingly normal flight that changed in an instant. "Apart from being delayed a bit for maintenance, the flight was fine—no memorable turbulence," they said. "Right before landing, I felt us getting knocked around a lot by the wind. There was no indication of a real problem, just a thought. "We touched down, then immediately bounced back up. We then started to tilt to the right, and very quickly I saw an orange glow from the right-side windows. I'm not sure when we turned over, but we did and skidded for who knows how long on the back." Another Reddit user, TheGopherF*****, asked: "What was the actual crash like? Was it disorienting enough to not let you be able to think?" The passenger responded: "I was in the military for quite a while, so I'm not sure if any of that training swayed my experience. While it was happening, I very calmly had the thought that I was likely going to die. After we skidded to a halt, my only goal was to get everyone safely down...off the plane...I saw so many people acting selflessly, comforting one another, and making sure we all made it out. I'm a pessimist, but this did give me a little more hope for humanity." Once the aircraft came to a stop, everyone was left hanging upside down in their seats because of their seatbelts. The passenger described how they and others worked together to escape the wreckage. "I was able to get myself down, as was the man next to me. We all helped each other down from there—someone would unbuckle the person's belt while others supported and slowly lowered them to the ground, or the ceiling, I guess," the passenger recalled. "During this time, the emergency door was opened. We waited patiently to exit the aircraft, with two people helping us to the ground. Once I hit the ground, I ran to a safe distance and of course snapped some photos."

The Aftermath

Some Redditors were curious about how the survivor was coping emotionally in the aftermath of the incident. User Unique_Challenge_587 asked: "Did you have any moments of thinking 'yup, this is it,' or what was your thought process now it's hours later?" The passenger responded: "Shock is a helluva drug. We were all a bit out of it. At the time of the crash, I did think 'Well, this is it.' It wasn't traumatic or heart-wrenching...more of a feeling of acceptance. It's been quite a while now, and I'm still feeling numb and unable to sleep..." While the questions in the AMA post mostly focused on what happened, some users speculated about compensation and pilot qualifications. The passenger told Newsweek: "I think the most surprising questions have been about whether I'm going to sue, what Delta is paying, etc. This isn't a payday for us; it's a lifetime of trauma whether we all acknowledge it or not. "I was also surprised by the questions on whether the pilots were 'DEI [diversity, equality, and inclusion] female pilots,' as if the sex of the pilots had any bearing on what happened." Even after escaping the aircraft, the ordeal was far from over. "After a time, something did pop off within the fuselage. Thankfully, we were all out at that point. I am injured but not nearly as bad as others. I'm waiting to see my primary care doc stateside to assess my damages," the passenger said. "I made out better than others, at least initially. There were a few injured—maybe without proper cold-weather gear for standing on the runway in the freezing temps. Many of us were also covered in jet fuel, which doesn't feel good on the skin. "I'm very grateful to be here," the passenger told Newsweek. Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.