The landing gear support erupted before the landing of the Delta Air Line regional jet and put passengers “hang like bats” before the reversal at Toronto Pearson International in February, according to a preliminary report by the Canadian Transport Safety Commission.
Investigators noted that the plane warned the pilots less than three seconds before the touchdown, and the audible alarm stated that they were rapidly descending and the plane leaned to the right. The report said that when it hit the runway, it was still falling rapidly, tilting to the right at 7.5 degrees.
The plane, a CRJ-900 operated by the Delta Connection Flights 4819 flight from Minneapolis to Toronto, landed in a hot crash on February 17, tore off the wings and turned the plane upside down.
All 80 passengers and crew were alive. Twenty-one people were injured, including two.
During the touchdown, investigators determined that the main landing gear on the right side of the aircraft was broken, the gears were retracted, and the right wing was installed on the side of the broken gear and the fuselage, which is the central part of the aircraft.
When the wings were disengaged, 6,000 pounds of jet fuel were sprayed on the ship, causing fire and explosion.
The report said the cockpit door was stuck, so the pilot had to climb out of the emergency hatch located on the cockpit ceiling.
Thursday’s preliminary report could not determine what caused the crash or damaged landing gear. A formal decision on possible causes may take 600 days.
Photos show investigations into the collapse of the CRJ-900 at the Delta Connection (Endeavor Air) at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Canada. – Transportation Safety Agency of Canada
“Accidents and incidents rarely come from a single cause,” Yoan Marier, chairman of the Transportation Safety Council of Canada, said in a statement. “They are often the result of multiple complex interlinked factors, many of which go beyond the aircraft and its operations to a broader systemic problem.”
Investigators have examined the components of flight control on the crashed plane, but have not noticed any obvious pre-existing failures, the report said.
The report said investigators investigating the crash copied several methods and landings in the CRJ-900 simulator.
Going forward, the Safety Committee will inspect the certification of the metals that make up the wings, landing gear and wings, landing technology and pilot training, evacuation and flight attendant training and coordination in emergencies.
“For everyone working on the air and the Delta, nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people,” Delta Air Lines said in a statement. “That is why we remain fully involved as participants in the survey led by the Transport Safety Council of Canada. This work will continue to pass through their final report, and the Delta will no longer comment.”
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