While all 80 people aboard the Delta Air Lines (DAL) plane that crashed when landing at Toronto Pearson Airport on Feb. 17 survived without critical injuries, the images of a Bombardier CRJ900 (BDRAF) plane on its back shocked millions.
The incident drew further attention to U.S. aviation amid other incidents like the January crash between a commercial jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter.
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In response to the crash, Delta has offered $30,000 to each of the 76 passengers aboard Flight 4819 operated by Endeavor Air.
A Delta airlines plane sits on its roof after crashing upon landing at Toronto Pearson Airport in Toronto, Ontario, on February 17, 2025. Social media has been flooded by misinformation about the flight crew.
Delta releases information on pilots in Toronto crash, calls social media speculation ‘false’
Amid the large number of people discussing the crash on various social media platforms, Delta has also called out the “disinformation in social media containing false and misleading assertions about the flight crew of Endeavor Air 4819.”
While keeping the name of the captain, first officer and other crew members private, the Atlanta-based airline said that the two pilots had been flying with Endeavor since completing full pilot training (some of the false information claimed that one of the pilots had not finished training) and were qualified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Related: ‘A big fireball’: Passengers recount scenes from Delta plane crash
The captain had been flying since his hiring by Mesaba Airlines in 2007 — Endeavor was created when the regional carrier merged with Pinnacle Airlines in 2012 — while the first officer was hired in January 2024 and completed new-hire training in April 2024.
Delta: ‘Assertions that she failed training events are false’
Regarding the first officer, Delta said in a statement: “Her flight experience exceeded the minimum requirements set by U.S. Federal regulations. Assertions that she failed training events are false. Both crew members are qualified and FAA certified for their positions.”
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While much of the online commentary targeted the female first officer, Delta also released a statement saying that any speculation that the captain failed in any way are “also false.” The two flight attendants also had extensive experience flying both with Delta and, in their prior careers, other airlines.
“He has served both as an active duty Captain and in pilot training and flight safety capacities,” the carrier wrote. “Assertions that he failed training events are false. Assertions that he failed to flow into a pilot position at Delta Air Lines due to training failures are also false.”
Videos that passengers captured during and immediately after the crash show the four members of the flight crew guiding travelers out of the plane that had flipped on its back and out onto the tarmac. Deborah Flint, who heads the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, called the crew “heroes” for staying calm and helping passengers in such a frightening situation. As the plane started to skid on the runway, the right wing snapped off from the fuselage and erupted in flames.
When the fuselage did come to a stop, crew and passengers found themselves in an upside-down plane with flames erupting outside. The last passenger was released from a Toronto hospital on Feb. 20.
“Everything that could go wrong went wrong, yet 80 people survived the accident,” David Soucie, an aviation safety analyst and one-time FAA safety inspector, told CNN.
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