Upside-Down Landing: Delta Flight 4819 Crash at Toronto Pearson Under Investigation

Delta Flight 4819, a Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by Delta’s regional carrier Endeavor Air, experienced a dramatic incident while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon. The aircraft, arriving from Minneapolis, reportedly flipped onto its roof amid gusty winter conditions and blown snow. Although all 80 passengers and crew were evacuated, 18 individuals sustained injuries—with several still listed as critical.

Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene as emergency responders rushed to the site. One passenger recalled that the runway appeared “weird” with snow piled over it, contributing to the hard impact that caused the aircraft to skid sideways before coming to rest upside down. In contrast, airport officials noted that the runway was dry and denied any crosswind conditions at the time of landing. 

Emergency crews quickly contained a brief fireball following the crash, and operations at Pearson have since resumed—though two runways remain closed to facilitate an ongoing investigation. Authorities, including the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the FAA, and Delta’s own investigative team, are scrutinizing the incident to determine whether adverse weather, runway conditions, or other factors contributed to the accident. 

Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed gratitude for the swift response of first responders and reassured the public that the airline’s top priority is passenger safety. As investigators continue to piece together the sequence of events, experts stress that while preliminary weather conditions might have played a role, further analysis of flight data and cockpit recordings is needed to pinpoint the exact cause.

Updates on the investigation are expected in the coming days as officials work to ensure that all safety measures are thoroughly reviewed.