Delta Flight Report: Speedy Descent Leads to Crash in Toronto

A Delta Air Lines passenger jet, carrying 80 individuals, experienced a precarious landing in Toronto, triggering an investigation by Canadian authorities revealing alarming descent rates before the crash.

A Delta Air Lines passenger jet, which flipped over and subsequently caught fire during its landing in Toronto last month, was found to be descending at what experts deem an excessive speed. According to a preliminary report released by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), the aircraft, managed by Delta's subsidiary Endeavor Air, approached the runway with descent rates nearly double that of typical thresholds for safe landings.

Specifically, the report indicates that the aircraft was descending at a rate of approximately 1,100 feet per minute, far exceeding the 600 feet per minute threshold that classifies a landing as “hard” according to the operational guidelines. This alarming descent was accompanied by an audible warning alert in the cockpit, indicating potential peril just moments before touchdown.

Upon landing, the jet’s right landing gear suffered a break, causing the aircraft to roll onto its right side while skidding down the runway. Tragically, this incident resulted in the right wing snapping off and igniting into flames, leaving the jet in an overturned position.

“It was descending much too fast,” stated Jeff Guzzetti, a former investigator with both the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board. He speculated that the rapid descent may have exceeded the structural limits imposed on the landing gear itself.

Fortunately, all 80 individuals on board—including 76 passengers and a crew of four—managed to exit the aircraft safely. Shortly after evacuation, an explosion occurred near the left wing of the wreckage, heightening the concerns surrounding the incident.