People across Canada have been trying to make sense of the shocking plane crash at Pearson airport last month — and now, the first official report is shedding light on exactly what went wrong.
According to a preliminary investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released on Thursday, the Delta plane crash at Toronto Pearson was the result of a violent landing that led to a fire, injuries and a chaotic evacuation.
All 80 people on board — 76 passengers and four crew members — managed to survive the Toronto Pearson crash, but 21 were hurt, including two with serious injuries. The TSB says there were no deaths, but the emergency landing and escape were anything but easy.
The crash happened on February 17, when Endeavor Air Flight 4819 — operating as Delta Connection — was arriving from Minneapolis. As the Bombardier CRJ-900 approached Runway 23 at Pearson International Airport, it struck the ground hard enough to rip off its right wing and flip the aircraft completely upside down, the TSB says.
The landing went wrong in just seconds
According to the report, the flight had been going “uneventfully” until the final seconds of descent. At about 50 feet above the ground, the aircraft’s rate of descent suddenly increased.
Just 1.6 seconds before touchdown, it was already descending at over 1,000 feet per minute — way faster than normal for landing, according to the TSB. The plane was also tilted slightly to the right, and the engines were operating at reduced thrust.
When the right landing gear hit the runway, it broke instantly, causing the wing to snap off. Fuel spilled from the detached wing and caught fire. The aircraft then rolled over and skidded down the runway upside down, eventually coming to a stop on a nearby runway.
Endeavor Air Flight 4819 wreckage at Toronto Pearson Airport, with its detached wing visible in the background.Peel Regional Police
Chaos inside the cabin
All 80 people onboard — including the pilot, first officer and two cabin crew members — were evacuated. According to the report, because the plane came to rest upside down, passengers were left hanging by their seatbelts, and many struggled to unbuckle while disoriented. Some got hurt falling onto the ceiling, which had become the floor.
Inside the upside-down plane post-crash.Transportation Safety Board of Canada
The flight crew couldn’t get out through the main cockpit door because of damage, so they used an emergency hatch in the ceiling — which was now on the bottom — to crawl out, with help from a passenger.
The escape hatch from which the pilots evacuated is circled.Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Fire, fuel and a close call
The fire was quickly handled by airport rescue crews, who arrived within five minutes, according to the TSB. During the evacuation, some passengers were sprayed with fire foam, and others were covered in jet fuel while escaping through an emergency exit.
Not long after everyone got out, an explosion occurred near the aircraft’s left wing. The cause of the blast is still being investigated, the TSB says.
What’s next?
Investigators have recovered the plane’s black boxes and are analyzing flight data and cockpit recordings. The TSB has also taken parts of the wreckage, including the fractured landing gear and wing sections, for detailed examination.
TSB officials examine the aircraft at the GTAA hangar.TSB Canada | Flickr
While it’s too early to say exactly why the crash happened, the TSB says it’s looking closely at things like landing gear design, pilot training and evacuation procedures. If any serious safety issues are discovered, they’ll notify airlines and regulators right away.
For now, the final report — including a full analysis and any safety recommendations — is still to come.
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