Delta plane crashes and flips upside down at Toronto airport

The Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft that crashed in Toronto on Monday was built to take a hard hit upon landing, enabling the quick evacuation that saved the lives of all 80 people on board, an aviation analyst said.

A strong gust of wind hit the Delta Air Lines plane as it touched down, causing it to tip over and a wing to tear off, said Peter Goelz, a CNN aviation analyst and former National Transportation Safety Board managing director.

The impact caused a fire that was ignited in fuel cells located in the wing, Goelz said, adding that the plane’s tail was made to break off in the event of it flipping over.

“The airplane was designed to take a hit like this,” Goelz told CNN.

Officials said earlier that 18 people were injured in the crash, which left seat-belted passengers suspended from their seats.

“Always keep your seatbelt snugly fastened,” Goelz said. “It will save your life.”

The analyst also praised the crew’s “extraordinary” response.

“People think that they’re just simply there to provide service, but the bulk of their training is an emergency service response, and this is the test, and they passed it with flying colors,” he said.

Goelz said he believes the investigation into the crash will be swift.

“The Transport Safety Board of Canada is skilled,” he said. “They’ll turn out a preliminary report in 30 days that I think will go a long way towards pointing to what happened.”