In brief
Preliminary findings from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada indicate that a Delta Air Lines jet was descending at a dangerously high rate—almost double the standard for safe landings—when it crashed at Toronto’s airport, flipping over and igniting.
The advisory highlighted that prior to touchdown, the plane was descending at 1,100 feet per minute, significantly above the "hard landing" threshold of 600 feet per minute outlined in the Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air’s operations manual. Upon landing, a component of the right landing gear broke, causing the aircraft to roll to the right and crash. Fortunately, all 80 onboard—including 76 passengers and four crew members—managed to evacuate before flames engulfed the aircraft. An explosion occurred shortly after everyone had exited the plane, notably near the left wing.
