The plane skidded on its right side, said Mr. Koukov, who was sitting at a window seat on the other side of the plane. He saw sparks and flames as the plane hit the ground.
When the plane came to a stop belly-up, he unbuckled and lowered himself down to the ceiling of the aircraft, which was now its floor, Mr. Koukov said. “People were panicking.”
A video taken by Mr. Koukov shows a flight attendant helping passengers climb out of the plane, urging them to hurry and to leave their belongings behind.
Other videos from the scene showed flames and black smoke billowing from the plane as firefighters hosed it down. Photos taken after the crash showed most of the right wing of the jet shorn off, and the left wing damaged with the left landing gear still attached to the plane.
In the aftermath of the crash, an air traffic controller told a medical helicopter pilot who offered to help: “There are people outside walking around the aircraft there.”
“Yeah, we’ve got it. The aircraft is upside down and burning,” the helicopter pilot responded, according to LiveATC audio.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will lead the investigation into the crash, officials have said, and the National Transportation Safety Board has said it was leading a team of American investigators to assist the Canadian authorities.
The crash is likely to create aviation chaos for days to come. Toronto Pearson, Canada’s largest and busiest airport, was already juggling a slew of delays and cancellations caused by a series of winter storms. Although its operations resumed on Monday afternoon, two of its five runways remain closed.
On Tuesday morning most flights arriving at the airport were delayed or canceled and most departures were expected to be delayed, some by up to 10 hours, into the afternoon.
Few details have been released about the crash so far. At two short news conferences, Canadian officials gave brief statements but would not take questions.
