Latest news with #YoanMarier
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Delta plane triggered fast descent warning before flipping and catching fire on runway
An alert warning system on the Delta Air Lines jet that flipped upside down upon landing last month signalled a fast descent before it crash-landed in Toronto, investigators have found. The Transport Safety Board of Canada (TSB), which is investigating the plane that flipped while landing on 17 February leaving passengers 'hanging upside down like bats', has released a preliminary report on the incident. All 76 passengers and four crew members travelling from Minneapolis to the Canadian city survived the landing. 21 people were hospitalised but were released several days after the crash. Canada's TSB preliminary report says that when the plane's ground proximity warning system sounded 2.6 seconds before touchdown, it indicated a 'high rate of descent' with the airspeed at 136 knots, which is around 155mph. A flight operations manual defines a hard landing, when a plane lands at a greater vertical descent rate than normal, as more than 600 feet per minute (fpm). Just before the crash, the rate of descent was recorded as 1,100 fpm. It also revealed that the plane's landing gear had folded into the retracted position during touchdown after its side stay, which supports and locks the gear, fractured. 'The right main landing gear outboard side-stay fractured at the connection to the landing gear strut; the landing gear then folded inward. The side-stay remained in the down-and-locked position,' the report said. 'Various other components of the landing gear strut and side-stay attachment fittings were found scattered along the runway'. The report also noted that wing the detached from the fuselage, releasing a cloud of jet fuel that caught fire. The plane then slid along the runway, rolling to the right until it became inverted, with other parts such as a portion of the tail becoming detatched during the roll, until it came to a rest on the runway. The TSB also noted that the flight deck door was jammed shut, so the pilots had to climb out an emergency escape hatch on the ceiling of the cockpit. Some of the injuries sustained by passengers occurred when they unbuckled from their seats and fell to the ceiling, but the TSB added it is not aware of any safety belt or sear failures during the crash. The report has not identified a cause for the crash as it is too early on in the investigation timeline, and the preliminary information gathered could change as it continues. 'Accidents and incidents rarely stem from a single cause,' said Yoan Marier, chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in a statement. 'They're often the result of multiple, complex interconnected factors, many extending beyond the aircraft and its operation to wider systemic issues.' The safety board said the investigation is still ongoing and is currently focusing on looking into examining the wing structure, flight deck door structure and design, landing techniques, pilot training and passenger evacuation. In a statement in response to the preliminary report, Delta said: 'For everyone at Endeavor Air and Delta, nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and our people. 'That's why we remain fully engaged as participants in the investigation led by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. 'Out of respect for the integrity of this work that will continue through their final report, Endeavor Air and Delta will refrain from comment.'
The Independent
21-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
Delta plane triggered fast descent warning before flipping and catching fire on runway
An alert warning system on the Delta Air Lines jet that flipped upside down upon landing last month signalled a fast descent before it crash -landed in Toronto, investigators have found. The Transport Safety Board of Canada (TSB), which is investigating the plane that flipped while landing on 17 February leaving passengers 'hanging upside down like bats', has released a preliminary report on the incident. All 76 passengers and four crew members travelling from Minneapolis to the Canadian city survived the landing. 21 people were hospitalised but were released several days after the crash. Canada's TSB preliminary report says that when the plane's ground proximity warning system sounded 2.6 seconds before touchdown, it indicated a 'high rate of descent' with the airspeed at 136 knots, which is around 155mph. A flight operations manual defines a hard landing, when a plane lands at a greater vertical descent rate than normal, as more than 600 feet per minute (fpm). Just before the crash, the rate of descent was recorded as 1,100 fpm. It also revealed that the plane's landing gear had folded into the retracted position during touchdown after its side stay, which supports and locks the gear, fractured. 'The right main landing gear outboard side-stay fractured at the connection to the landing gear strut; the landing gear then folded inward. The side-stay remained in the down-and-locked position,' the report said. 'Various other components of the landing gear strut and side-stay attachment fittings were found scattered along the runway'. The report also noted that wing the detached from the fuselage, releasing a cloud of jet fuel that caught fire. The plane then slid along the runway, rolling to the right until it became inverted, with other parts such as a portion of the tail becoming detatched during the roll, until it came to a rest on the runway. The TSB also noted that the flight deck door was jammed shut, so the pilots had to climb out an emergency escape hatch on the ceiling of the cockpit. Some of the injuries sustained by passengers occurred when they unbuckled from their seats and fell to the ceiling, but the TSB added it is not aware of any safety belt or sear failures during the crash. The report has not identified a cause for the crash as it is too early on in the investigation timeline, and the preliminary information gathered could change as it continues. 'Accidents and incidents rarely stem from a single cause,' said Yoan Marier, chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in a statement. 'They're often the result of multiple, complex interconnected factors, many extending beyond the aircraft and its operation to wider systemic issues.' The safety board said the investigation is still ongoing and is currently focusing on looking into examining the wing structure, flight deck door structure and design, landing techniques, pilot training and passenger evacuation. In a statement in response to the preliminary report, Delta said: 'For everyone at Endeavor Air and Delta, nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and our people. 'That's why we remain fully engaged as participants in the investigation led by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
CNN
20-03-2025
- General
- CNN
Landing gear support broke as Delta regional jet landed and flipped at Toronto airport, preliminary report says
Summary A landing gear support broke on a Delta regional jet that flipped during landing at Toronto's airport in February, according to a preliminary report from Canada's Transportation Safety Board. Preliminary findings show the landing gear support broke, the gear retracted, and the right wing broke releasing jet fuel, which led to a fire and explosion. All 80 passengers and crew survived the crash, with 21 people sustaining injuries. The report noted a rapid descent alarm just before the plane hit the runway, titled 7.5 degrees to the right. An official determination on probable cause could take up to 600 days. A landing gear support broke as a Delta Air Lines regional jet was landing before it flipped upside down, leaving passengers 'hanging like bats' at Toronto Pearson International in February, according to a preliminary report from Canada's Transportation Safety Board. On February 17, the CRJ-900, operated by Endeavor Airlines as Delta Connection Flight 4819 from Minneapolis to Toronto, landed in a fiery crash that ripped off a wing and rolled the plane upside down. All 80 passengers and crew made it out alive. Twenty-one were injured, including two seriously. On touchdown, investigators determined the side-stay attached to the aircraft's right main landing gear fractured, the gear retracted, and the right wing broke between the landing gear and fuselage, which is the central part of the plane. When the wing detached, 6,000 pounds of jet fuel onboard sprayed out leading to a fire and explosion. The cockpit door was jammed shut, so the pilots had to climb out of an emergency hatch located on the ceiling of the cockpit, the report says. Thursday's preliminary report does not identify what caused the crash or the broken landing gear. An official determination on probable cause could take up to 600 days. 'Accidents and incidents rarely stem from a single cause,' said Yoan Marier, chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in a statement. 'They're often the result of multiple, complex interconnected factors, many extending beyond the aircraft and its operation to wider systemic issues.' Less than three seconds before touchdown, investigators noted, the plane warned pilots with an audible alarm that they were descending quickly and the plane banked to the right. It was still descending rapidly when it hit the runway, titled 7.5 degrees to the right. Investigators have examined components of the flight controls on the crashed plane, but didn't note any obvious pre-existing malfunctions, the report says. Investigators probing the crash replicated several approaches and landings in a CRJ-900 simulator, according to the report. Going forward, the safety board will examine the metal making up the wing, certification of the landing gear and wing, landing techniques and pilot training, the evacuation, as well as flight attendant training and coordination in emergencies. 'For everyone at Endeavor Air and Delta, nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and our people,' Delta Air Lines said in a statement. 'That's why we remain fully engaged as participants in the investigation led by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Out of respect for the integrity of this work that will continue through their final report, Endeavor Air and Delta will refrain from comment.'
New York Times
20-03-2025
- General
- New York Times
Airliner Was Descending Fast Before It Flipped on Landing, Report Finds
A Delta Air Lines passenger jet that flipped over, burned and lost a wing after landing in Toronto last month was descending at what experts called an excessive speed when it touched down, according to a preliminary report from the Canadian authorities. The report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, an independent agency, found that a warning about the plane's rapid descent had sounded just before it touched down, and the plane was dropping at nearly twice the rate that qualifies as a 'hard landing' in the flight operations manual of the Delta subsidiary, Endeavor Air, that was operating the jet. A descent greater than 600 feet per minute is considered a 'hard landing,' according to the manual. Just before the crash, the plane was descending at 1,100 feet per minute, the report said. When the plane landed, a part attached to the main landing gear on the right side broke, according to the report. In a matter of seconds, the jet rolled to its right, still skidding down the runway, the right wing snapped off, the plane burst into flames and it came to a stop upside down. 'It was descending much too fast,' said Jeff Guzzetti, a former U.S. accident investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board. 'It's possible that the rate of descent was so great that it exceeded the design stress limits of that landing gear.' Despite the dramatic events, all 80 people on board, including 76 passengers and four crew members, were able to evacuate safely. After the plane was empty, there was an explosion near the left wing. The report did not assign a cause for the Feb. 17 crash or the explosion, and the safety board said that its work was ongoing. 'Accident and incidents rarely stem from a single cause,' Yoan Marier, chairman of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said in a video statement. The plane, a CRJ 900 made by Bombardier, had left Minneapolis and was arriving at Toronto Pearson International Airport in windy conditions, which aviation safety experts said can complicate the landing process. According to the safety board's report, the plane's air speed increased, apparently from a wind gust, less than 15 seconds before landing. The pilot reduced thrust, which experts described as a typical response. But, less than three seconds before landing, the alert sounded warning that the plane was dropping too fast. The plane's nose was also pointed upward at a one-degree angle, lower than the three to eight degrees recommended by the operations manual 'Everything went to hell in the last seconds,' said Ben Berman, a safety consultant who is also a former airline pilot and federal crash investigator in the United States. The conditions the pilots faced that day can make flying 'very difficult,' he added. The captain of the plane, who was also a simulator instructor, had worked for Endeavor since 2007, and had 764 hours of flight time on the type of plane involved in the crash. The first officer, who was flying the plane, had worked for the airline since January 2024 and had nearly 420 hours of experience with that aircraft model. Such experience is not unusual for pilots at smaller airlines like Endeavor, aviation experts said. At least 21 people were injured in the crash. Passengers hung upside down in their seats after the crash, held up by their seatbelts, the report said. Two days after the crash, Delta Air Lines offered each passenger $30,000, which the company said came with 'no strings attached.' Passengers have filed several lawsuits against the company in the United States, and Vincent Genova, a Toronto-based lawyer, said his firm has been retained by 12 Canadian passengers.
Forbes
20-03-2025
- General
- Forbes
Preliminary Report On Delta Plane Flip In Toronto Indicates High Wind Gusts And Rapid Descent
Canadian authorities released a preliminary report Thursday finding the crew of Delta Flight 4819 faced several challenges before the plane hard-landed and flipped on a Toronto runway last month, one of a string of recent high-profile aviation accidents that have led to increased public scrutiny on air travel. TSB of Canada senior investigator Ken Webster provided an update from the airfield days after the ... [+] crash. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada released Thursday its preliminary report into the crash of Delta flight 4819, operated by regional carrier Endeavor Air, which flipped and caught fire at Toronto Pearson airport after a hard landing in gusty conditions on Feb. 17. The crash resulted in no fatalities among the 76 passengers and four crew members and, within three days after the crash, all 21 injured passengers initially transported to local hospitals had been released. The report details how the crew faced wind gusts up to 35 knots and landed hard without flaring the nose of the plane up to ease the landing. TSB said preliminary data from the flight data recorder showed the enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) sounded an alert 'sink rate' 2.6 seconds before touchdown, indicating a high rate of descent. Delta Air Lines has offered $30,000 to each passenger on board the Mitsubishi CRJ-900 regional jet, for a total of $2.3 million if everyone on board accepts the offer. Delta said in a statement it remains 'fully engaged as participants in the investigation' and will refrain from public comment 'out of respect for the integrity of this work that will continue.' The cause of the crash remains under investigation as Canadian authorities work to determine the exact sequence of events, with a final report not expected for up to a year. Until then, the cause of the crash is undetermined. TSB Chair Yoan Marier said accidents 'rarely stem from a single cause' and instead are often 'the result of multiple complex, interconnected factors.' The TSB's preliminary report details that the first officer was flying the plane at the time of landing and had worked with Endeavor Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, for a little more than a year. At the time of the crash, she had accumulated 1,422 hours of total flight time — just under a third of which were on the CRJ plane involved in the crash. Upon touchdown, 'the landing gear folded into the retracted position, the wing root fractured between the fuselage and the landing gear, and the wing detached from the fuselage, releasing a cloud of jet fuel, which caught fire,' according to the report. A brief video summary from the TSB released Thursday said further analysis would be done as authorities examine the certification of wing structure, hard landings and pilot training. '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 1000 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,' said Andres Pereira of Austin, Texas.-based DJC Law, which represents a passenger now suing the airline. The Montreal Convention 1999 (MC99) governs all international flights between countries that have signed the treaty, including the U.S. and Canada, and establishes airline liability in the case of death or injury to passengers. First Delta Crash Lawsuit Will Be Filed Today, Lawyer Says—After Airline Offers $30,000 To Passengers Over Plane Flip (Forbes)
