On February 17, 2025 at about 17:46z yet another terrible aviation accident occurred at the Toronto Peterson International Airport. Thankfully, all 76 passengers and 4 crew members’ lives were spared, despite the Bombardier jet, commonly referred to as a CRJ-900, losing its landing gear and wings on a landing attempt on Delta flight 4819 and then turning upside down. Sadly, there were significant injuries to many passengers with 21 hospitalizations. This aircraft bearing registration number N932XJ was a model CL-600-2D24 was manufactured in 2008, was inbound from Minneapolis and operated by Endeavor Air. After a particularly hard landing and landing gear collapse, the right wing departed the fuselage with a fire occurring at the same time. All passengers were able to depart the aircraft before another fire occurred.
This most recent accident comes on a wave of aviation disasters currently plaguing the flying community. The Captain of the aircraft was hired in 2007 by a predecessor to Endeavor Air, and the First Officer was hired in January 2024, completing her training in April, and according to FAA records earned her Airline Transport Pilot certificate in January 2025, and initial reports was that she was pilot in control of the jet at the time. The aviation community has raised questions as to training and winter weather. The reported weather conditions from the airport at 1:00 pm were winds at 33 mph from the west, gusting to 41 mph with blowing snow. These conditions have been classified by some as “extreme.” Careful study of the crosswind component which the pilots were facing, their training, runway conditions and of the security of the landing gear will be necessary to better understand the causes of this accident. At Devers Miska Law we employ a team approach to this kind of investigation, and will closely monitor developments as more information becomes available. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about this accident, which follows an unfortunate trend of aviation incidents.