Transportation Safety Board to release preliminary report of plane crash at Toronto Pearson

The Transportation Safety Board will release a preliminary report into a Delta plane crash landing at Pearson airport in February.

The preliminary findings of what happened the day a plane crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport in February will be released on Thursday, according to the agency leading the investigation.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said on social media that it would make public its preliminary report tomorrow, investigating what went wrong with Delta Air Lines' Flight 4819 on Feb. 17.

“The Transportation Safety Board of Canada immediately responded and deployed a team of over 20 investigators to gather data, recover key components and systems, invterview witnesses, document the sit eand examine the wreckage,” the federal agency said in video shared on X.

Parts of the CRJ-900 have also been sent to its engineering lab for further analysis, the TSB said.

The Endeavor Air aircraft flying in from Minnesota, Delta’s subsidiary, crashed and flipped over on the Toronto airport’s tarmac that day, causing the fuselage to burst into flames.

The plane’s wing and tail section separated following the initial impact, the TSB previously found.

“The cockpit door was unusable, so the flight crew exited out of the emergency hatch in the cockpit ceiling,” the TSB said in a previous release.

All 80 passengers swiftly disembarked the plane and were accounted for, however 21 people sustained injuries, ranging from head injuries to fuel exposure, paramedics said soon after the incident. They have all since been released from the hospital.

A dozen Canadian passengers onboard the CRJ-900 said they intend to file separate claims against the airline, according to Vincent Genova, a Toronto-based lawyer representing them. There are also at least three travellers from the U.S. who have filed lawsuits.

Delta Air Lines presented $30,000 to all of the passengers soon after the fiery crash, previously saying this “gesture has no strings attached and does not affect rights.”

The TSB is being assisted by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, NAV Canada, the operator, and the plane’s manufacturers in its investigation.

CTV News Toronto contacted Delta Air Lines for comment but did not receive an immediate response.