The reason for the shocking but thankfully nonfatal Delta Airlines crash that saw the plane flip and roll has finally been uncovered.
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The crash saw the Delta Airlines plane descend to the Toronto runway much faster than usual. As it touched down, a wing clipped the ground, causing it to snap off. The body of the plane then rolled over, in a terrifying crash.
Incredibly, nobody was seriously hurt, and passengers were able to evacuate onto the snowy runway. People were so calm they left with luggage and even took photos of the belly-up plane. But, many people wondered how on earth such a thing could happen so suddenly.
Now, a much more detailed report is available, and it's possible to start getting an idea of where the problems began.
Faulty Construction Caused Delta Airlines Plane To Flip And Roll
The report, released on March 20th, shows that there were a number of elements at play. Faulty landing gear and a weak wing caused the plane to flip and roll down the runway. According to the report, the pilots were given a warning for a high rate of descent before they touched down.
As the right landing gear touched down on the Toronto runway "the side-stay that is attached to the right MLG fractured." This led the landing gear in question to fold into the stowed position. Once the landing gear had returned to the retracted position, "the wing root fractured between the fuselage and the landing gear, and the wing detached from the fuselage, releasing a cloud of jet fuel, which caught fire."
From here, the plane began to slide and flip. "The aircraft then began to slide along the runway. The fuselage slid down Runway 23, rolling to the right until it became inverted," the report revealed. "A large portion of the tail, including most of the vertical stabilizer and the entire horizontal stabilizer, became detached during the roll."
The exact sequence of events is still being discovered at this point. However, this is the official report and sheds some light on how the Delta Airlines plane was able to flip and roll down the tarmac. Thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt in the crash, with only 21 injuries.
The passengers were held upside down, and then the plane finally came to a rest. Their story is a remarkable and lucky one.
