The moment 80 lives were upendedally – and tragedy was averted during the fiery crash of a Delta flight in Toronto

That was my plane that crashed and I’m standing in the middle of the runway.”

Nolan told CNN newsgathering partner CTV

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,

Carlson, a paramedic, told CNN newsgathering partner CBC

The absolute initial feeling is, ‘Just need to get out of this,

he told CBC

You can listen to the preflight all you want but when you’re suddenly upside down, rolled over, everything kind of goes out the door,

he told CBC

We got it in sight,

the helicopter pilot said of the downed jet

There was a wing there before and when we went out that exit, there was no wing to be found,

he recalled

Clear to land, Endeavor 4819,

the pilot responded, referring to Delta’s Endeavor Air, the subsidiary which operated the regional jet arriving about 2:15 p.m local time Monday on the snow-covered runway

The problem is that slows down the process of getting out, and you don't know whether that is going to cost lives,

said Leff

I get that people are attached to their things, and maybe they knew there was no fire risk, but I’d always err on the side of getting out first and worrying about replacing lost material items later,

said Blewett

This incident has fewer bags being taken than most because the plane's upside-down position [prevents] people from going into overhead bins for those belongings,

Leff said

In the moment, though, passengers aren't thinking clearly about macro consequences. They may see just what is right in front of them."

He added

In the event of an evacuation, leave all bags behind. Carrying baggage will slow the evacuation,

an official says in the video

The flight took off from Minneapolis,

he said

It appears from the video that the plane landed so hard that the right main gear collapsed. The tail and right wing began skidding causing the plane to roll over to the right,

Ella Atkins, the head of Virginia Tech’s aerospace and ocean engineering department and a pilot

Ken Webster (director)tSB senior investigator

At this point, it's far too early to say what the cause of this accident might be,

TSB Senior Investigator Ken Webster said in a video statement Tuesday, as he stood near the remains of the aircraft

They will look at the number of people working both on the aircraft and the control towers. And they will look at their schedules,

McCormick said

The odds of getting injured or killed in a commercial airline accident is far less than driving in your car,

Guzzetti said

It appears that the aircraft simply did not flare at all,

Browne said

That seat is your single best resource in order to keep you protected,

McCormick said

I am concerned that the proposed cuts and changes to the FAA may increase the risk of further accidents,

he said