Newly released video shows Delta flight bursting into flames before flipping on Toronto runway, porn star mistaken as pilot

The commercial flight from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario was captured on video by an eyewitness as it attempted to land on Monday afternoon.

As soon as the aircraft's tires made contact with the snowy tarmac, flames burst from the plane, and it began to skid. The aircraft then spun around violently before finally coming to a stop amid a thick plume of black smoke.

Emergency crews quickly responded to the scene, and Toronto Pearson officials confirmed that all passengers and crew were accounted for. At least 18 people were taken to hospital, with three reportedly being critically injured.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash, with initial reports suggesting that weather conditions and runway surface may have been contributing factors.

According to Associated Press (AP), the plane landed in blizzard-like conditions, with winds gusting up to 40 mph (65 kph). The aircraft, carrying 76 passengers and four crew, attempted to land at 2.15pm local time, but something went “drastically wrong” as it touched down, despite normal communications between the pilot and air traffic control.

Passenger Peter Carlson, who was traveling to Toronto for a paramedics conference, described the landing as “very forceful.” He told CBC News: “All of a sudden everything just kind of went sideways and then next thing I know, it’s kind of a blink and I’m upside down still strapped in.”

Video footage shared on social media showed the Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR overturned on the runway, with firefighters extinguishing the remnants of a fire as passengers evacuated from the upside down plane.

Who is the pilot?

People have since praised the pilot responsible for safely landing the aircraft, but the names of the crew members have not been officially released. However, a viral post on X (formerly Twitter) has jokingly credited the heroic act to a man named Jonathan Simpson, claiming he has "420 hours of flight time in 69 types of aircraft."

The post, which featured an AI-altered image of a man in a Delta uniform, says: "His action today at the airport in Toronto, Canada, saved 80 passengers on board." The man in the doctored image turned out to be a popular porn star, not a Delta pilot.