Delta plane crash survivor recounts terrifying moments when plane flipped: You start thinking about your loved ones

A Florida man narrowly escaped death after his Delta Air Lines flight made a crash landing on an airport runway, flipping over and erupting into flames in an apocalyptic scene.The aircraft was traveling from Minneapolis, Minnesota when it went belly-up seconds after landing at Canada’s Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday. Nate Richie was traveling from his home in southwest Florida when he boarded Delta Air Lines Flight DL4819 to Toronto, where his job is headquartered, in what Richie describes as “a very uneventful flight.”  “You start thinking ‘this is it’,” Richie told Fox News Digital, sharing the moments that his life flashed before his eyes.“You start thinking about your loved ones – my wife and children – and you just try to brace yourself.” The aircraft carrying 76 passengers and four crew members slammed into the snow-covered runway upon landing, flipping upside down and catching on fire.

Richie, who was sitting in a window seat at the time of the crash, recalls the terrifying moments after impact. “We were jolted and started to roll,” Richie told Fox News Digital.“[There were] explosions and fire on the opposite side of the plane as we started rolling, [with] things flying through the air and bodies being jolted around.” Video footage shows the aircraft sliding down the icy runway as the right wing is ripped off and flames begin to emerge from the rear.   Richie suddenly found himself hanging upside down by his seat belt, listening to his fellow passengers’ screams as jet fuel poured over the windows and black smoke rose from the tail. As the aircraft skidded to a stop, Richie fell from his seat and began helping passengers find the nearest exit amid the chaos.

The plane was evacuated onto the snowy tarmac, with terrified passengers – many of whom did not even have time to grab their coats – awaiting help in frigid temperatures. “It was freezing, absolutely freezing on that runway,” Richie said.“...