Delta Flight 4819: Pilots were experienced with flying through winter conditions, CEO says

Bill Lukitsch, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Feb 19, 2025

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Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said Wednesday that the pilots in the crash-landed Delta Connection Flight 4819 were experienced in flying through winter weather conditions like those seen at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon.

Bastian, appearing on “CBS Mornings,” said there is “one level of safety at Delta” among its mainline and regional pilots.

“All these pilots train for these conditions. They fly under all kinds of conditions at all of the airports in which we operate. So, no, there’s nothing specific with respect to experience that I’d look to,” Bastian said.

On Monday, Flight 4819 took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) around 11:34 a.m. with the maximum 76 passengers and four crew members aboard. Endeavor Air, a Minneapolis-based subsidiary of Atlanta-based Delta that flies regional routes, operated the aircraft.

Aviation experts who spoke to the Minnesota Star Tribune observed a hard landing as the right wing touched the ground and separated from the plane. Along the runway, the aircraft — a Bombardier CRJ-900 — lost its other wing and tail as flames and smoke roared out. Videos of the aftermath shared on social media showed passengers hanging upside down and being rushed out of the wreckage.

Given the ongoing investigation, Bastian on Wednesday noted his comments would be limited on the crash. Although the footage of the terrified passengers and wreck was “horrifying,” Bastian described the outcome — all passengers and crew escaping without serious injury — as a testament to the safety of the aircraft and the training of its operators.

Bastian heralded the work of the Endeavor crew members, saying they “performed heroically but also as expected.”

“This is what we train for. We train for this continuously. The fact that they were able to evacuate that plane as expeditiously as they did, under extreme conditions, coupled with the fact that all 80 people walked off the plane with limited physical injuries, was really a testament to the safety that’s embedded in the systems.”

Canadian authorities with the Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, with assistance from U.S. stakeholders and investigators. In an initial update late Tuesday afternoon, the TSB offered no clear indication on cause. Such investigations often take years.

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