Delta Flight 4819 Incident: A Close Call at Toronto Pearson Airport

On February 17, 2025, Delta Flight 4819, operated by regional carrier Endeavor Air, experienced a harrowing incident at Toronto Pearson Airport. The Mitsubishi CRJ-900 regional jet, carrying 76 passengers and 4 crew members, made a hard landing in gusty conditions, with wind speeds reaching up to 35 knots. The plane flipped and caught fire after its right main landing gear collapsed, leaving passengers and crew shaken but, thankfully, with no fatalities.

The preliminary report released by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) on March 20, 2025, revealed critical details about the incident. The Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) had sounded a “sink rate” alert just 2.6 seconds before touchdown, indicating a dangerously high rate of descent. The plane was descending at over 1,000 feet per minute with a slight bank angle to the right, which likely contributed to the collapse of the landing gear.

While no lives were lost, 21 passengers sustained injuries and were transported to local hospitals. All were released within three days, but the emotional and physical toll of the incident lingers. Delta Air Lines has offered $30,000 in compensation to each passenger, totaling $2.3 million if all accept. However, one passenger has chosen to pursue legal action, alleging negligence on the part of the first officer who was piloting the plane at the time.

Andres Pereira, the attorney representing the passenger, stated, “It seems clear from the preliminary report that the first officer negligently piloted and slammed the plane into the ground at a high sink rate of over 1,000 feet per minute and at a bank angle of 7.5 degrees to the right. This likely led to the collapse of the right main landing gear that we all saw on the video of the crash. Our client has suffered significant injuries because of Delta’s negligence.”

The investigation is being led by Ken Webster, a senior investigator with the TSB, who has provided updates on the findings. Yoan Marier, Chair of the TSB, emphasized that aviation accidents are rarely caused by a single factor but are often the result of multiple interconnected issues. The first officer, who remains unnamed, had 1,422 hours of total flight time, with about a third of those hours logged on the CRJ-900 aircraft.

The final report is expected within a year and will delve deeper into areas such as the certification of the wing structure, hard landings, and pilot training protocols. This incident is part of a broader trend of high-profile aviation accidents that have heightened public scrutiny on air travel safety.

The Delta Flight 4819 incident underscores the importance of rigorous pilot training and the need for airlines to adapt to challenging weather conditions. It also highlights the role of international regulations like the Montreal Convention 1999 (MC99), which governs airline liability for flights between the U.S. and Canada.

As the investigation continues, the focus remains on ensuring that such incidents are prevented in the future. For now, the passengers and crew of Delta Flight 4819 are a testament to resilience in the face of adversity, and their story serves as a reminder of the human element at the heart of every aviation incident.