Investigators say it’s ‘far too early to say’ what caused the Delta plane crash at Toronto Pearson airport

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada released an update on their investigation into the causes of the crash at Pearson Airport.

An investigation is underway into what caused a Delta plane to crash and flip over during landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, leaving more than 20 passengers injured.

Meanwhile, delays and cancellations are expected at the airport for the next “several days” as two runways remain closed during an investigation.

Here are the new details about the crash:

• TSB investigators have recovered the flight data recorder from the Delta plane and sent it to their lab for analysis.
• TSB says it is too early to tell what the cause of the crash is.
• Two of the airport’s five runways are expected to be closed for at least the next 48 hours.
• Officials are warning of more delayed and cancelled flights over the next “several days.”
• 19 of 21 passengers hospitalized after the crash have been released, Delta Airlines says.
• Passengers sustained a range of injuries, including back sprains, head injuries, and nausea, according to Peel paramedics.
• IN PHOTOS: Plane crashes at Toronto Pearson

7:25 p.m.

Renfrew County paramedic Chief Mike Nolan is one of the first responders who helped passengers from the crashed Delta plane.

Nolan was at the airport to pick up his friend who was on the Delta flight when he witnessed the crash. He texted his friend, informing him about the crash, not knowing it was his friend’s plane.

“As a result, I reached out, almost in disbelief, to Pete via text to say, ‘heads up there’s a plane that’s crashed and just want to make sure that you’re okay.’ A few minutes later, he got back to me and said, ‘no that’s my plane that crashed and I’m standing in the middle of the runway,’” he told CTV News Ottawa.

After reaching out to Peel paramedics to inform them that he was available to help, Nolan moved to the staging area, where he was able to care for people with less serious injuries.

READ MORE: Renfrew, Ont. paramedic chief jumps into action during Toronto plane crash

6:25 p.m.

Eugen Abramovici, chief engineer of materials, engineering and failure analysis at Bombardier Aerospace, described the aircraft as “strong” given that the fuselage remained intact following the crash.

“It’s absolutely untouched,” Abramovici told CP24 Live at 5. “In spite of the severity of the landing and what we can see in the video, the fuselage did not break.”

He noted that while Bombardier Aerospace built the plane in the 1990s, the CRJ fleet was later sold to Mitsubishi.

Abramovici, commenting on the video of the crash, said it appeared it was a very heavy landing.

READ MORE: Video shows moment Delta plane hit tarmac in fiery crash at Toronto airport

6 p.m.

Father Joal Bernales who was on board the Delta flight recounts to CP24 what happened moments after the crash that left jet upside down on the tarmac.

“I was hanging,” said Bernales, who flew to Toronto to visit relatives.He then remembered seeing his seatmate take off their seatbelt, causing them to fall down.

Bernales said his seatmate then helped him get down, saying, “I will catch you.”

Shortly after, he and other passengers hurried to evacuate the plane.

Bernales says he is physically fine and did not sustain any injuries.

According to Delta, all but two of the passengers who were taken to the hospital have been released.

CP24’s Joanna Lavoie

READ MORE: Delta plane crash survivors share their stories

5:45 p.m.

In the video statement, TSB senior investigator Ken Webster said the Bombardier CRJ 900 “impacted the runway during landing.”

“Following this initial impact, parts of the aircraft separated and a fire ensued,” Webster said. “The fuselage came to rest slightly off the right side of the runway, upside down, facing the other direction.”

Webster said a team of more than 20 investigators would be examining the wreckage and the runway.

The TSB investigation is being supported by representatives from Transport Canada, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Delta and the jet’s manufacturer.

5:30 p.m.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) says its investigators have removed the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder from the Delta plane that crashed and flipped over at Toronto Pearson airport.

“We’ve sent them to our lab for further analysis. At this point, it’s far too early to say what the cause of the accident might be,” TSB senior investigator Ken Webster said in a video statement.

5:25 p.m.

Savanna Ayala Fode is stuck in Washington, D.C. She says she was supposed to fly to Toronto Pearson airport on Sunday.

“We’ve been waiting since the storm and then now with the plane crash,” Fode said. “We are getting back on Thursday, hopefully.”

She says it does not help that she has not been given accommodations.

“This is just really annoying,” Forde said.

4:20 p.m.

Air Canada says the recent winter storm and the crash at Toronto Pearson airport have resulted in nearly 1,300 flights over the past six days.

“We are currently restoring our service, adding extra flights and capacity where possible,” Air Canada CEO Craig Landry said in a statement.

The airline adds that the reduction in take-offs and landings at the airport is slowing its recovery, advising customers that it will take several more days to return to fully normal operations.

3 p.m.

Travellers at Toronto Pearson airport continue to face delays and cancellations a day after the crash.

One woman told CTV News Toronto she waited more than five hours for her flight, receiving three delay notifications during that time.

Another traveller who was supposed to fly on Monday said he stayed at Pearson overnight and is still waiting for his flight to be rescheduled.

NAV Canada says delays are affecting some flights at Pearson airport “due to runway availability and configuration.”

12:45 p.m.

Peel paramedics say the injuries sustained by passengers included back sprains, head injuries, and nausea and vomiting due to fuel exposure.

12:30 p.m.

Twenty members of the Transportation Safety Board, along with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, are now on site at Pearson airport to investigate Monday’s plane crash.

Investigators are expected to be reviewing the wreckage on the tarmac for the next 48 hours, President and CEO of Toronto Pearson International Airport, told reporters during an update at the airport on Tuesday afternoon.

“We are looking to support that investigation and removal of that aircraft off the runway, at which point we can do our inspections and return that runway into service,” she added.

Flint said she would not speculate on what may have led to the crash, citing the ongoing investigation. She said she expects the TSB will release a statement at some point on Tuesday.

After two back-to-back snowstorms, Flint said Monday was expected to be an “operational recovery day” to make up for flights that were impacted by the inclement weather.

She said the Delta crash led to hundreds of additional cancelled flights in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Of the 1,006 scheduled flights on Monday, 462 were cancelled.

“We have been in recovery mode since resuming flights at 5 p.m. yesterday, catching up on delayed flights and that continues into today as well,” Flint said.

“We are currently without use of our longest east-west and north-south runways. This and ongoing expected additional weather conditions will affect how fast we recover operations, particularly with departure of aircraft.”

She said passengers should expect further delays and cancellations for the next “several days.”

12:25 p.m.

Flint says that the crew members on board the Delta Airlines flight that crashed upon landing at Pearson airport on Monday are all “heroes” for their “textbook” response to the incident.

“The crew on Delta flight 4819 heroically led passengers to safety, evacuating a jet that had overturned on the runway on landing amid smoke and fire. I thank each and everyone of these heroes,” Flint said at a briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

10:30 a.m.

Officials at Pearson are expected to provide an update on the incident at 12 p.m.

9:47 a.m.

In a social media post on Tuesday morning, Delta Airlines confirmed that 21 people were initially transported to hospital after the crash and 19 have since been released.

“Our most pressing priority remains taking care of all customers and Endeavor crew members who were involved,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in the online post.

“We’ll do everything we can to support them and their families in the days ahead, and I know the hearts, thoughts and prayers of the entire Delta community are with them. We are grateful for all the first responders and medical teams who have been caring for them.”

Delta flights have resumed at Pearson, the airline said.

9:10 a.m.

CTV News Aviation Specialist Phil Durdey says that the flight data recorder will be key to the investigation as it will tell us how fast the aircraft was travelling when it hit the runway.

He said that while video that appears to show the crash suggests that the aircraft’s right wing was low prior to impact, it was “well within” the range of normal given the crosswinds on the runway at the time.

“We just have to figure out what went wrong. Something happened right at that last minute and we will find out,” Durdey told CP24.

7:30 a.m.

Video posted on social media shows the moment the plane struck the tarmac, caught fire, and flipped onto its roof.

7 a.m.

PC Leader Doug Ford’s campaign stop in Sault Ste. Marie was put on hold today after his team said his flight from Pearson was cancelled.

6:30 a.m.

Delays and cancellations have been reported at the airport this morning following the plane crash. Officials confirm that two of the airport’s five runways are shut down this morning.

6 a.m.

Officials are expected to provide an update later today on the fiery plane crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon.

With files from CTV News Toronto’s Alex Arsenych