Delta Provides Details on Crew Involved in Toronto Flight Crash

Delta Air Lines has shared information about the crew on board Flight 4819, which crashed and flipped upside down at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, AOL reports.

The flight, operated by Endeavor Air, a Delta subsidiary, was en route from Minneapolis when the incident occurred.

The captain, who was hired by Mesaba Airlines in October 2007, became part of Endeavor Air following its merger with Pinnacle Airlines in 2012. He has extensive experience, having served as both an active duty captain and in roles related to pilot training and flight safety.

The first officer, who recently earned her full Air Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate in January 2023, is a graduate of a well-regarded aviation program at a university. She began working with Endeavor Air after completing her training in April 2023. Delta confirmed that she had met and exceeded all federal requirements for the position, with her flight experience surpassing the minimum required by U.S. regulations. Additionally, the airline emphasized that both pilots had passed all required check rides and were fully certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Delta officials also refuted online claims that the crew had failed any training events.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told CBS Mornings that the pilots are well-trained for various conditions and that the airline ensures its crews are capable of operating under different circumstances at diverse airports.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by both the Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft’s black box has been recovered and is being analyzed.

The crash occurred around 1:15 p.m. CST when the CRJ-900 aircraft struck the runway. Images and videos from the scene showed the plane catching fire upon landing and subsequently flipping over, with the aircraft losing both its wings and tail while sliding across the airfield.

All 80 individuals on board, including 76 passengers and four crew members, survived the crash. Twenty-one passengers were injured, but by Thursday, all had been released from the hospital. In response to the incident, Delta has offered $30,000 to each passenger involved, with the airline emphasizing that the gesture is made without any conditions or impact on passengers’ rights.