Yesterday we saw an absolutely wild aviation accident. The good news is that at least as of now, there are no fatalities. In the hours since the accident, a lot more details have emerged about what happened, ranging from a video of the plane landing, to an interview with passengers. So I want to take an updated look at all those details.
Delta Connection CRJ-900 crashes on landing in Toronto
This accident happened on Monday, February 17, 2025, and involves Delta Air Lines flight DL4819, operating the 1hr26min flight from Minneapolis (MSP) to Toronto (YYZ). The flight was operated by Endeavor Air, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta, as part of the carrier’s Delta Connection fleet.
The aircraft in question was a 16-year-old Bombardier CRJ-900 with the registration code N932XJ. There were a total of 80 people onboard, including four crew members and 76 passengers.
This accident happened on landing, as weather conditions in Toronto weren’t great, with winds of 23 knots, gusting up to 33 knots. When the plane came in to land at 2:13PM on runway 23, its gear collapsed, it flipped over, and it came to a stop upside down, at which point an evacuation was ordered.
So far, we have a couple of videos of the plane landing. One is a security camera from a distance, while another was filmed by a pilot on another aircraft. The videos show the plane descending at a very fast pace, and seemingly not flaring much before landing. The plane seems to touch down on its right rear gear, at which point the right wing breaks off, the plane catches fire, and then it flips upside down.
Initial reports suggest that there were no fatalities, though several passengers with injuries have been transported to area hospitals. As a result of the accident, Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) was closed for several hours.
Below is the air traffic control audio from the incident, per VASAviation. However, there’s not much to it — the aircraft received clearance to land, and that was the end of the communication. All subsequent communication was with emergency vehicles.
This is an absolutely wild accident
First and foremost, thank goodness that initial reports suggest that there were no fatalities. I hope that those who have been injured make a full and speedy recovery.
Obviously an investigation will take some time, and should give us a good sense of what happened. It’s simply incredible to me that the plane somehow ended up coming to a stop upside down, missing both wings, with the fuselage otherwise intact.
There’s video from inside the cabin of the evacuation. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to be a passenger. Even if you have your seatbelt on, evacuating an aircraft when you’re upside down is just next-level. Huge kudos to the crew for getting passengers off the plane safely.
Below is an interview with one of the passengers shortly after the accident, providing the perspective of what it was like onboard.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will be leading the investigation here, though the United States National Transportation Safety Board will be assisting as well. So far, Delta CEO Ed Bastian has simply issued the following statement regarding the accident:
“The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport. I want to express my thanks to the many Delta and Endeavor team members and the first responders on site. We are working to confirm the details and will share the most current information on news.delta.com as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, please take care and stay safe.”
Bottom line
A Delta Connection CRJ-900 had a horrible accident in Toronto, whereby it came to a stop on the runway inverted, with both wings disconnected from the fuselage. I’m so relieved to hear that initial reports are that there were no fatalities, because this is a shocking accident.
It’s really a testament to how well built planes are. How incredible that a plane can have such a horrendous accident on landing, yet the main part of the fuselage remained intact, and seatbelts worked properly.
What do you make of this accident?
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