“A Delta Airlines plane arriving from Minneapolis has overturned upon landing at the Toronto Pearson airport,” announced officials at the airport during the incident. “Emergency response teams are currently on site.” In response to the situation, the FAA has issued a ground stop, temporarily halting all U.S. flights bound for Toronto.
Images and videos circulated on social media platforms depicted the overturned aircraft amidst a snow-covered landscape, with individuals seen walking around the scene. “Blowing snow, accompanied by intermittent bands of lake-effect snow, is sweeping through Toronto,” noted digital meteorologist Jonathan Belles from weather.com shortly after the incident. “Wind gusts reaching 30-50 mph are impacting the region of Ontario, attributed to the remnants of Winter Storm Jett.”
Furthermore, the storm not only caused disruptions at the airport but also led to fatal flooding and severe weather conditions in parts of the Southern United States. Prior to the incident, the airport had been engaged in ongoing cleanup efforts following a weekend of snowfall.
This incident marks at least the fourth major aviation mishap in the U.S. within less than a month. Tragically, 67 individuals lost their lives on January 29 when a commercial jetliner collided with an Army helicopter near the nation’s capital. Subsequently, seven people perished in a medical transportation plane crash in Philadelphia, followed by another plane crash in Alaska resulting in the deaths of 10 individuals.
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