How did everyone survive the Delta plane crash in Toronto?

In a dramatic crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport, a Delta Air Lines regional jet flipped upside down but all 80 passengers survived. Experts credit this miracle to effective aircraft design, particularly its crashworthiness, and the prompt response of cabin crews and rescue teams. Passengers reported a hard landing and witnessed smoke and flames. Eighteen passengers were hospitalized, though no fatalities occurred. Investigators are looking into the cause, including potential mechanical issues, but the design focus on minimizing injury during accidents proved crucial.

Quite a few things went well here," Graham Braithwaite, director of aerospace and aviation at Britain's Cranfield University, said in an interview. "The fact that there were no fatalities with an aircraft left upside down on a runway tells you a lot about how the restraints worked, how the aircraft design worked, how the rescue teams responded and how the cabin crew played their role.

For a scenario like this, it's about minimizing the injury to people on board," Braithwaite said. "Crashworthiness is what would have made sure the seats didn't detach from the floors and that the lap belts kept the passengers secure.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that the seat belts did manage to keep many passengers secure during the impact, which contributed to the high survival rate in a serious incident.

Read at Washington Post