The cause of a Delta Connection plane crash in Toronto on 17 February 2025 is still not clear, though investigators and aviation experts are examining a range of issues including the aircraft’s descent speed, a pre-landing weather warning by air traffic staff and a possible crosswinds manoeuvre attempted by the pilots.
All 76 passengers and four crew members on board Flight 4819 from Minneapolis to Toronto Pearson International survived the incident, in which their aircraft, an Endeavor Air Mitsubishi CRJ900, caught fire and turned upside on the runway after landing. 21 people were hospitalised, though 18 had been discharged by the following day. Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian has said the carrier is doing “everything we can to support them and their families in the days ahead, and I know the hearts, thoughts, and prayers of the entire Delta community are with them.”
Onboard video of the passenger evacuation from the Delta crash in Toronto#delta #Toronto #planecrash pic.twitter.com/fBEnsqDXuk
— 🇺🇸 Craig 🇺🇸 (@craigsgoji) February 17, 2025
Was a heavy one-wheel touchdown to blame?
Several agencies and firms are now supporting the crash investigation, including the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Transport Canada (TC), police, the manufacturer, and operator. Ken Webster, Ontario’s operations manager at the TSB, told press over 20 investigators are on the case.
Footage of the plane reveals it veered right before landing, skidding, emitting flames, losing its tail and a wing, and turning over. Webster has confirmed the plane “impacted the runway during landing. Following this initial impact, parts of the aircraft separated, and a fire ensued,” he said, adding: “the fuselage came to rest slightly off the right side of the runway, upside down, facing the other direction.”
Clearist footage showing the crash moment of Delta – Endevoir Air CRJ-900 Flight DL4819 from Minneapolis (MSP) to Toronto (YYZ) with registration N932XJ.
— aircraftmaintenancengineer (@airmainengineer) February 18, 2025
We will share the reports as soon as available. pic.twitter.com/4XRAdJt3c0
Just why the aircraft hit the runway unusually is another question. The impact was “very forceful” according to one passenger who spoke to CBC, something confirmed by Marco Chan, a former pilot, aviation expert and crash investigator. He told the BBC that air traffic audio suggests a “hard landing” after an “unusually high rate of descent.” His analysis was that a violent one-wheel touchdown caused the landing gear to collapse, which meant the right wing made runway contact, and the plane then rolled
Possible attempt at sideways landing
The weather and the pilots’ response to a warning about it could also provide part of the answer. Though Toronto Pearson’s fire chief has said the runway was “dry”, there had been recent snow, temperatures were freezing, and winds were picking up. According to CNN reporting, these conditions led air traffic controllers to warn the pilots of 61km/h (38mph) wind gusts and chances of a “slight bump in the glide path”.
As a result, the pilots possibly attempted a “crab manoeuvre”, Dan Ronan, an FAA investigator told BBC. Otherwise known as a “slip”, it’s a tactic to counteract crosswinds which involves pointing the plane’s nose into the wind and flying sideways until the last seconds of landing.
Praise for crew and aircraft safety
Whatever caused the crash, the fact that everyone on board survived has prompted praise – both for modern aircraft design standards and the coolheaded professionalism of the cabin crew and airside first responders who have been described as “heroic”.
The CRJ900, designed and manufactured by Bombardier (formerly Canadair), benefits from wings designed to detach in a ground-strike, instead of tearing apart the fuselage. In addition, the aircraft has FAA-regulation seats that can withstand a 16g impact (16 times the force of gravity) and can pitch and roll in place by 10°, meaning they are less likely to be thrown forward and pile up.
