Toronto Pearson Airport Plane Crash: Delta Airlines Flight 4819 Crash Lands

Image credits: Teresa Barbieri/The Canadian Press via AP

The recent plane crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport has raised concerns about aviation safety, with Delta Airlines Flight 4819 crash-landing and injuring 21 people, including a child. The flight, operated by subsidiary Endeavor Air, was carrying a total of 80 people on board, with 76 passengers and four crew members. Among the passengers, 22 were Canadian, while the rest were multinational. The plane, a Bombardier CRJ-900, crashed at around 2:15 p.m. ET on Monday, with all passengers and crew accounted for, and no fatalities reported.

The investigation into the crash is still in its early stages, with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada leading the inquiry. The airport's president and CEO, Deborah Flint, stated that the injuries ranged from minor to critical but not life-threatening, and that the airport's emergency workers mounted a textbook response, reaching the site within minutes and quickly evacuating the passengers. The weather conditions at the time of the crash were extreme, with blowing snow and winds of 51 km/h gusting to 65 km/h, and a temperature of about minus 8.6 degrees Celsius. The plane coming from Minneapolis arrived amid blowing snow following a winter storm that hit the Toronto region over the weekend.

A regional airline pilot, who has flown the Bombardier CRJ, noted that photos of the crashed jet showed its nose landing gear intact, while its two other wheels and landing gear appeared to have been sheared off. Such damage suggested the Delta Air Lines pilot was going laterally, not straight, prior to losing control of the jet and crashing, either because of high, gusting winds, or snow and ice on the runway, or a dangerous combination of both. John Gradek, an aviation management professor at McGill University, stated that the crash could have been due to a lot of different factors, such as winds, runway conditions, or mechanical issues with the airplane.

The crash of the Delta Air Lines plane in Toronto is the fourth major aviation disaster in North America in the last month. Other recent crashes include a small commuter plane crashing in western Alaska, killing 10 people, a medical transport jet crashing in Philadelphia, killing 7 people, and a midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight, killing 67 people. The investigation into the Toronto crash is ongoing, with the airport expecting some operational impacts and delays over the next few days as two runways are closed for the investigation. The airport's website showed multiple delays for flights departing in the morning, with passengers advised to check with their respective carriers for updates.

The list of recent plane crashes in North America includes: * Delta Air Lines plane crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport on February 17, 2025 * Small commuter plane crash in western Alaska on February 6, 2025 * Medical transport jet crash in Philadelphia on January 31, 2025 * Midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight on January 29, 2025 The causes of these crashes are still under investigation, but they highlight the need for continued vigilance and improvement in aviation safety. The investigation into the Toronto crash will provide more information on the factors that contributed to the accident, and will help to identify measures to prevent similar crashes in the future.