On February 17, Delta Flight 4819 crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport in a dramatic and harrowing incident that left the plane flipped upside down, its right wing and tail sheared off, and the aircraft engulfed in flames. Miraculously, all 76 passengers and four crew members survived, though some sustained injuries. While investigators are still piecing together the exact cause of the crash, a physicist has stepped forward to explain the science behind why the plane flipped.
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The Physics Behind the Flip
Arun Bansil, a physics professor at Northeastern University, broke down the incident in an interview with Northeastern Global News.
“The underlying physics is quite simple,” he said. “Various forces acting on the airplane must remain in proper balance for the airplane to fly, and to land and take off smoothly.”
In flight, four primary forces act on an aircraft:
- Weight: The force of gravity pulling the plane downward.
- Lift: Generated by the wings, counteracting weight to keep the plane airborne.
- Thrust: Produced by the engines, propelling the plane forward.
- Drag: Air resistance that opposes thrust.
Bansil explained that if these forces become unbalanced around any axis of the airplane, the aircraft can start rotating.
“If the forces become unbalanced around any axis of the airplane, then the airplane will start rotating around that axis,” he said.
In the case of Delta Flight 4819, which was inbound from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, weather conditions played a significant role. Reports indicate that blowing snow and gusting crosswinds were present at the time of the crash. A crosswind—a horizontal wind blowing perpendicular to the plane’s direction of travel—can make landings particularly challenging.
Delta plane crash in Toronto Canada new video shows what happened pretty clearly.
I’m happy there is video of it, which is rare for plane crashes.
Very happy people survived this. 🙏❤️🤗 pic.twitter.com/mx5n78eKQQ
— Moni 💕 (@MoniFunGirl) February 18, 2025
How Crosswinds and External Factors Could Have Played a Role
Bansil suggested that a strong crosswind could have caused the plane to tilt to the right as it approached the runway.
“A sudden gust of wind could cause the upward lift force on one wing to become much greater than that on the other wing and flip the airplane,” he said.
He also noted that structural damage to the aircraft could exacerbate the situation.
“One of the wings breaking and falling off would have a similar effect,” Bansil added.
Even thought the runway was reportedly clear of snow and ice, he acknowledged that hitting a patch could have contributed to the tilt.
“Hitting a snow or ice patch could tilt the plane and help flip it,” he said.
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The Investigation Continues
The crash is currently under investigation by multiple agencies, including the Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB), the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Officials are hopeful that data from the plane’s black boxes—which have been recovered from the wreckage—will provide critical insights into the sequence of events leading up to the crash.
While the investigation is ongoing, Bansil’s explanation offers a glimpse into the complex interplay of forces that can lead to such a catastrophic event. It also underscores the challenges pilots face when landing in adverse weather conditions.
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A Miracle on the Runway
Despite the severity of the crash, the fact that all passengers and crew survived is nothing short of miraculous. Emergency responders acted swiftly to evacuate the plane and extinguish the flames, preventing what could have been a far greater tragedy.
As the investigation unfolds, the aviation industry will undoubtedly scrutinize the findings to improve safety protocols and prevent similar incidents in the future. For now, the survivors of Delta Flight 4819 can count themselves lucky, and the rest of us can marvel at the resilience of both human ingenuity and the human spirit.
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In the meantime, Bansil’s explanation serves as a reminder of the delicate balance required to keep an airplane in the air—and the potential consequences when that balance is disrupted.