A Delta Air Lines regional jet crashed and flipped over while attempting to land at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon amid strong winds and blowing snow, leaving 18 passengers injured but miraculously resulting in no fatalities.
The Bombardier CRJ-900LR, operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air as Flight 4819 from Minneapolis, crashed around 2:45 p.m. local time during its landing approach on Runway 23. The aircraft came to rest inverted with its starboard wing separated and vertical fin sheared off.
Our most pressing priority remains taking care of all customers and Endeavor crew members who were involved.
Ed Bastian, Delta Chief Executive officer
“We’ll do 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. We are grateful for all the first responders and medical teams who have been caring for them,” Bastian added.
Of the 80 people aboard — 76 passengers and four crew members — 21 were transported to local hospitals. Two passengers were reported in critical but stable condition, including one pediatric patient and a man in his 60s.
“First and foremost, there was no loss of life and this is in due part to our heroic and trained professionals, our first responders at the airport,” said Deborah Flint, president and CEO of Toronto Pearson International Airport, during a press conference.
The incident occurred as the airport was already dealing with operational challenges from recent snowstorms. Weather conditions at the time included westerly winds of 28 knots gusting to 35 knots, with blowing snow reducing visibility to 6 miles.
The crash prompted the immediate closure of two runways, which will stay closed while an investigation takes place for the rest of tonight and into the next several days, according to Flint. The airport temporarily halted all arrivals and departures on its remaining three runways before resuming limited operations around 5 p.m.
Delta confirmed it has canceled its remaining Toronto flights for the evening and issued travel waivers for affected passengers. The airline established an emergency operations center in cooperation with fire and police departments, paramedics, security, and federal agency partners.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will lead the investigation, with assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration investigators. The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.
This incident follows several recent aviation accidents in North America, including last month’s fatal collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., which claimed 67 lives.
The CRJ-900LR involved in Monday’s crash was approximately 15 years old and registered as N932XJ. The aircraft type has been in commercial service for over two decades and maintains a strong safety record, with more than 380 units currently operating worldwide.
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