Delta Air Lines overturned on landing at Toronto - 1 year later

Av Geek Blog
7 hours ago
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On 17 February 2025, a Delta Air Lines CRJ-900 operated by Endeavor Air overturned upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft with no fatalities reported.

In this blog post, I take a look at what we know so far, largely based on the preliminary report. I examine the landing sequence of the aircraft, the evacuation and the aftermath of this incident.

All times are in Eastern Standard Time (EST) unless otherwise stated.

Please note that this information is preliminary and subject to change.

Brief summary

Date: 17 February 2025

Time: 14:13 local time

Flight: DL4819

Airline: Delta Air Lines, operated by Endeavor Air

Aircraft type: CRJ - 900

Aircraft registration: N932XJ

Departure: Minneapolis - Saint Paul International Airport, Minnesota, USA (MSP/KMSP)

Arrival: Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada (YYZ/CYYZ)

Incident: Aircraft flipped upside down on landing

Delta Air Lines flight DL4819, operated by Endeavor Air, departed from Minneapolis for Toronto. Upon landing, the aircraft impacted the runway. Following the initial impact, parts of the aircraft separated, including a wing and tail section, and a fire ensued. The fuselage came to rest slightly off the right side of the runway, upside down and facing the other direction.

Once the aircraft came to rest, passengers and crew began to evacuate. The passengers and cabin crew evacuated out of the right forward door and one of the two right emergency exit windows. The cockpit door was unusable, so the flight crew exited out of the emergency hatch in the cockpit ceiling.

21 passengers and crew were injured during the accident, many of whom were hospitalized although no fatalities were reported.

A Delta Boeing 737 about to land — A Delta Air Lines CRJ-900 aircraft overturned when landing at Toronto. Aircraft pictured is a Boeing 737.

Investigative updates

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB Canada) have released investigative updates. As of the 12 February 2026:

The aircraft wreckage was removed from the accident site and transported to a hanger at Toronto Pearson for examination and analysis while the right wing, landing gear, wing box structure and several components were sent to the TSB's engineering laboratory in Ottawa for further testing. Additionally, an examination of the metals of the fracture surfaces on the wing and landing gear has been completed and analysis of this work is still ongoing.

TSB Canada also notes that data from all on-board recorders including the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), among others, have been downloaded and analyzed. Several hours of recorded data from previous flights of the occurrence aircraft were also reviewed and compared with the occurrence flight. The TSB also notes that data from Nav CANADA's Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System and the GTAA's CCTV systems have been analyzed to support the review of the approach, landing, evacuation and emergency response.

The TSB has also reviewed the meteorological conditions at the time of the incident, including analysis of wind data.

The TSB also states that they have conducted simulator exercises where they examined speed and thrust settings in a series of exercises. Additionally, the TSB has analyzed the survivability factors and the emergency response, including an examination of restraint systems, emergency exit routes, crew coordination and the rescue and firefighting response.

Finally, the TSB notes that they are conducting analysis of similar occurrences worldwide on other aircraft types.

TSB Canada notes that the investigation is ongoing but that future work will focus on finalizing the analysis of technical, flight operations and laboratory results.

What happened - from preliminary report

The following data comes from the preliminary report which was released on 20 March 2025.

Please note that this information is preliminary and subject to change.

Summary

On 17 February 2025, a CRJ-900, operating Endeavor Air flight EDV4819 (also DL4819) from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States to Toronto Pearson International Airport, Ontario, Canada. During the landing on Runway 23, the aircraft impacted the runway, the right wing detached, and a fire ensued. The aircraft overturned and slid down the runway inverted, coming to rest near the intersection of Runway 23 and Runway 15L. Airport rescue and fire fighting responded and all passengers and crew evacuated.

Factual Information

At 12:47 EST on 17 February 2025, an Endeavor Air CRJ-900 operating as flight EDV4819, departed Minneapolis St Paul International Airport on an IFR flight to Toronto Pearson International Airport. The flight had 2 flight crew members, 2 cabin crew and 76 passengers on board. The captain was the pilot monitoring while the first officer was the pilot flying. The preliminary report states that the flight was uneventful.

The crew received clearance for an ILS approach to Runway 23.

The landing reference speed (VREF) for the approach was 139 knots. According to the company's flight manual, final approach is to be flown at VREF + 5 knots. However in gusty wind conditions, VREF was to be increased by half of the gust factor not to exceed 10KIAS (knots indicated air speed). On this flight, the flight crew set the speed to VREF + 5 knots which was 144 knots. Given the reported wind gusts, the approach was flown at 149 knots.

A Delta Connection CRJ aircraft on the ground — A Delta Air Lines CRJ aircraft. A Delta CRJ-900 aircraft was involved in this accident.

At 14:12:01, the aircraft descended through 500 feet above ground level (AGL). The aircraft's indicated air speed was 150 knots and its ground speed was 121 knots. The report states that the engine thrust was indicating approximately 64% N1. The rate of descent was 720 feet per minute (fpm), and the localizer and glide scope were centered. Five seconds later the pilot flying disconnected the autopilot.

At 14:12:26, the aircraft was descending through 175 feet AGL. Its indicated airspeed was 144 knots with a ground speed of 121 knots. The rate of descent was 672 fpm and the thrust remained at approximately 64% N1.

At 14:12:30, the aircraft was descending through 153 feet AGL. Its indicated airspeed had increased to 154 knots while the ground speed did not change considerably. The preliminary report states that this is consistent with a performance increasing wind gust. The pilot flying pulled back the thrust levers, and as a result, over the next 5 seconds, N1 decreased to 64% to approximately 43% where it remained until it touched down. The airspeed also began to decrease.

At 14:12:40 (3.6 seconds before touchdown), the aircraft was at a height of 50 feet AGL. The indicated airspeed was 145 knots, and the ground speed was 112 knots. The rate of descent had increased to 1114fpm. The preliminary report states that the enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) aural alert "fifty" sounded to indicate the aircraft was 50 feet AGL. This is a standard callout.

One second later (2.6 seconds before touchdown), the EGPWS alert "sink rate" sounded, indicating a high rate of descent. The aircraft's indicated airspeed was 136 knots and its ground speed was 111 knots. The rate of descent had remained at about 1,100fpm. The preliminary report notes that the bank angle increased to a 4.7 degree right bank. The engine thrust was at approximately 43% N1.

At 14:12:42 (1.6 seconds before touchdown), the aircraft's indicated airspeed was 136 knots and the ground speed was 111 knots. The aircraft was slightly below the glide slope, but on the visual segment of the approach and tracking the runway centerline. The rate of descent had increased to 1072fpm and the bank angle was 5.9 degrees to the right.

Less than 1 second before touchdown, the aircraft's indicated airspeed was 134 knots and its ground speed was 111 knots. The bank angle was 7.1 degrees to the right and the pitch attitude was 1 degree nose up. The preliminary report states that the rate of descent was recorded as 1110fpm.

At 14:12;43.6, the right main landing gear (MLG) contacted the runway. The aircraft was in a 7.5 degree bank to the right with a 1 degree nose up pitch and 3g vertical acceleration. The rate of descent was approximately 1098fpm. The preliminary report highlights that this is a descent rate of 18.3 feet per second.

At touchdown the following sequence of events happened. However, the exact sequence of these events is not yet known but will be determined by further examination of the fracture surfaces.

The side-stay that is attached to the right MLG fractured
The landing gear folded into the retracted position
The wing root fractured between the fuselage and the landing gear
The wing detached from the fuselage, releasing a cloud of jet fuel which caught fire.

The below table shows different data points from the aircraft at certain times.

Table 1: Table showing different data points from the aircraft during landing

Time	Altitude (AGL)	Indicated Airspeed (knots)	Ground speed (knots)	Rate of descent (fpm)	% N1	Bank Angle (degrees to the right)
14:12:01	500	150	121	720	64
14:12:26	175	144	121	672	64
14:12:30	153	154			64 (reduced to 43 over the next 5 seconds)
14:12:40 (3.6 seconds before touchdown)	50	145	112	1114
14:12:41 (2.6 seconds before touchdown)		136	111	1100	43	4.7
14:12:42 (1.6 seconds before touchdown)		136	111	1072		5.9
Less than 1 second before touchdown		134	111	1110		7.1
14:12:43.6 (Touchdown)				1098		7.5

The aircraft then began to slide along the runway. The preliminary report states that the fuselage slid down Runway 23, rolling to the right until it became inverted. A large portion of the tail, including most of the vertical stabilizer and the entire horizontal stabilizer became detached during the roll. The aircraft went off the right of the runway, into the snow covered grass area and came to rest on Runway 15L, near the intersection with Runway 23, about 75 feet beyond the right edge of Runway 23. The right wing, including the right MLG became fully detached from the aircraft and slid approximately 215 feet further along Runway 23.

Once the aircraft came to a stop, an evacuation began. However since the aircraft was inverted, the passengers were upside down in their seats and the preliminary report states that some passengers had difficulty releasing the buckles on their seatbelts because they were upside down.

At the time of writing the preliminary report, 21 of the 80 occupants received injuries with 2 of those having serious injuries. The report states that some of the injuries sustained occurred when passengers unbuckled themselves and fell to the ceiling.

The crew and passengers began evacuating but the deformation of the forward fuselage and the flight attendant jump seat position prevented the flight deck door from opening after the accident. As a result, the pilots used the escape hatch on the cockpit ceiling (which was now upside down) to evacuate. The hatch opening was close to the ground which hindered the evacuation but the pilots managed to evacuate with the help of a passenger.

The report states that a passenger attempted to utilize the forward emergency over wing exit located on the starboard side at seat 12D. However, fuel was flowing over the exit door so most rear fuselage occupants evacuated via the over wing exit at seat 13D. The report also states that the lavatory door which became unhinged during the accident sequence blocked visibility looking aft for the forward flight attendant before being removed by a passenger.

The preliminary report states that Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) personnel arrived about 5 minutes after the accident. After passengers and crew evacuated, ARFF personnel entered the fuselage. Shortly after this an explosion occurred outside the aircraft in the area of the left wing root. The preliminary report states that the cause of this explosion has yet to be determined.

A Delta CRJ aircraft being pushed back — A Delta Air Lines aircraft being pushed back. All passengers are crew evacuated from the aircraft.

Wreckage information

The preliminary report states that the initial impact point was about 420 feet past the Runway 23 threshold where the right MLG struck the runway surface. The aircraft then came to rest inverted on Runway 15L, approximately 1800 feet beyond the threshold and about 75 feet to the right of the runway edge, near the intersection of Runway 23 and Runway 15L. The preliminary report states that a large portion of the tail section was found on the runway, to the left of the centerline, about 1680 feet from the threshold and 235 feet from the main wreckage. The right wing came to a rest on Runway 23, about 215 feet beyond the main wreckage.

Personnel Information

The preliminary report details the experience of the flight crew.

The captain has worked for Endeavor Air since October 2007. He holds an airline transport pilot certificate issued by the US FAA. He is employed as a flight crew member and a simulator instructor. At the time of the accident he had 764 hours on the aircraft type.

The first officer has worked for Endeavor Air since January 2024. She also holds an airline transport pilot certificate issued by the US FAA. At the time of the accident she had 418.7 hours on the aircraft type.

The flight attendant seated in the forward section of the aircraft had 3 years of experience, all with Endeavor Air. The flight attendant in the rear section had 11 years of experience, including 5 years with Endeavor Air.

Aircraft Information

The aircraft was manufactured by Bombardier Inc. in 2008 and registered to Delta Air Lines Inc. on 31 December 2009. It was configured with 2 flight crew seats, 1 cockpit observer seat, 3 flight attendant seats and 76 passenger seats.

At the time of the accident, the aircraft was operating within its weight and balance limitations. The preliminary report states that the landing weight was approximately 73000 pounds with about 6000 pounds of fuel remaining at the time of landing.

The table below shows information about the aircraft.

Table 2: Table showing information about the aircraft involved in the accident

Manufacturer	Bombardier
Model	CRJ-900LR
Registration	N932XJ
Year of manufacture	2008
Engine type	CF34-8c5 (2 engines)
Max allowable take off wight	84500 pounds (38329 kg)

Winds	270 degrees True at 20 knots, gusting to 32 knots
Visibility	6 statue miles in blowing snow
Runway visual range for Runway 24L	Variable between 2600 feet and more than 6000 feet with a downward trend
Broken ceiling at 3000 feet AGL
Temperature	-8 degrees Celsius
Dew point	-13 degrees Celsius
Altimeter setting	29.94 inches of mercury
Remarks indicated cumulus clouds at 5 oktas

Delta Air Lines overturned on landing at Toronto - 1 year later

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