Plane crashes, overturns during landing at Toronto airport

Survival, Injuries, and Evacuation

• Commenters are amazed everyone survived an upside‑down, burning wreck with major structural loss (wing, tail).
• Reports in thread: ~8 injured, 3 initially “critical” (including an infant), later updated by some sources to no one remaining critical; all expected to live.
• Inside video shows a flight attendant calmly and forcefully directing evacuation from an inverted cabin; many praise the crew, first responders, and even fellow passengers who helped right and free each other.
• Several note how little time there typically is before smoke/fire make the cabin unsurvivable, citing other accidents where delays cost lives.

How the Crash Appears to Have Happened

• Early speculation: crosswind, ice, runway excursion leading to a cartwheel; wind gusts around 33 knots (≈60 km/h).
• Later external videos (from CCTV and another aircraft waiting to depart) show:
  • A stable approach, then an extremely hard touchdown with little or no visible flare.
  • Apparent asymmetric collapse or overload at the right main gear area, leading to the right wing separating and the aircraft rolling onto its side then inverted.
• Debate on causes:
  • Wind shear or gust on short final vs pilot not flaring vs too-low speed vs no‑flap landing (one unverified claim about flap actuator failure).
  • Crosswind numbers vs CRJ‑900 limits are argued: some say within dry‑runway limits, others point to contamination and “good” (not dry) runway codes.
• Most agree it’s too early to assign blame; investigation by Canadian authorities (with US involvement) is expected to clarify.

Design, Structures, and Fire

• Long sub‑thread on whether wings are “designed to rip off”:
  • Consensus: wings are built to be among the strongest parts; engines and gear have “fuse” features to detach cleanly to protect the wing and fuel tanks.
  • Engineering anecdotes on designing to 150% “ultimate load,” wing bend tests, and why preserving fuselage integrity is paramount.
• Several suggest the early loss of a wing and sliding into snow likely helped keep fire away from the cabin and limited fuel burn.

Video, Surveillance, and Instrumentation

• Many are surprised we have no immediate high‑quality official runway footage; others respond that airports do record but don’t rush to publish it.
• Some argue for cheap, continuous HD coverage of runways and simple “dashcam‑like” systems in towers and on aircraft (cockpit/tail cams) for investigation and training.
• Privacy and practicality (storage, crash survivability, bureaucracy) are raised as reasons this hasn’t become standard.

Passenger Behavior and Luggage

• Inside‑cabin video shows at least one passenger carrying hand luggage; multiple commenters are angry, arguing this can delay evacuation and kill others.
• Counterpoints:
  • Shock and “automatic habits” in emergencies; people are not thinking clearly.
  • Rational concern about losing expensive or medically critical items (e.g., insulin kits) given limited legal compensation for baggage.
• Extended debate on whether to criminalize or heavily sanction taking bags vs addressing root incentives by guaranteeing full replacement and clearly communicating that.

Risk Perception, Regulation, and Recent Incidents

• Some feel there have been “too many” recent crashes; others cite statistics that commercial flying remains extraordinarily safe, with possible short‑term noise in the data.
• Politicized back‑and‑forth about deregulation, FAA staffing cuts, and whether they plausibly relate to this Canadian landing accident; several participants say that’s speculative and timing doesn’t fit known maintenance cycles.
• Overall, most treat this as likely weather/operations/technique interacting under challenging crosswind conditions, pending formal findings.