What Caused Delta Flight 4819 to Overturn in Toronto?

On February 17, 2025, a Delta Air Lines plane operating flight 4819 from Minneapolis crashed during landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, resulting in 18 injuries, three of them critical.

The aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ900LR that was 15 years old, attempted to land around 2:15 PM local time when it overturned and came to rest upside down on the runway. There were 80 people on board: 76 passengers and 4 crew members. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported.

At the time of the incident, the airport was experiencing wind gusts of up to 64 km/h (40 mph) and a temperature of approximately -8.6°C (16.5°F). Although a winter storm had affected the region over the weekend, the runway was dry, and there were no significant crosswinds during the landing.

Airport emergency teams responded quickly to the air accident. A critically injured child was airlifted to Toronto’s Children’s Hospital, while a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s, both seriously injured, were transported to local hospitals. Takeoff and landing operations at the airport were temporarily suspended, resuming around 5:00 PM.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has launched an investigation to determine the causes of the air accident, with the collaboration of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Two airport runways will remain closed during the investigation process.

This incident underscores the importance of safety measures and the readiness of emergency response teams in critical situations.