Delta Air Lines has disclosed details about the crew operating a flight from Minneapolis that crashed and overturned at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday. Officials confirmed the captain was initially hired by Mesaba Airlines in October 2007, which later merged with Pinnacle Airlines in 2012 to form Endeavor Air, a Delta subsidiary responsible for the Toronto flight. The captain has also served in active duty roles, pilot training, and flight safety positions.
CBS News reported that the first officer graduated from a university with an accredited aviation program, enabling her to begin working with fewer than 1,500 flight hours under a Restricted Air Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. She surpassed the 1,500-hour threshold in January 2023, earning her full ATP certification, the highest pilot qualification in the U.S., and completed training in April 2023. She has been flying for Endeavor since then. Delta stated her flight experience exceeded federal regulatory requirements.
A source familiar with the matter told CBS News that she passed all evaluations without any concerns regarding her piloting abilities. Delta also refuted online claims alleging the captain and first officer had failed training events, confirming both crew members are FAA-certified for their roles.
“All these pilots train for these conditions,” Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said in an exclusive interview with “CBS Mornings.” “They fly under all kinds of conditions at all the airports in which we operate, so there’s nothing specific with respect to experience that I’d look to.”
The cause of Monday’s crash remains under investigation by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, and the Federal Aviation Administration. On Tuesday, officials confirmed the aircraft’s black box had been recovered.
According to Delta, the plane struck the runway upon arrival at Toronto Airport at approximately 1:15 p.m. CST. Images and videos from the crash showed the CRJ-900 aircraft catching fire upon impact, sliding sideways across the airfield, and losing its tail and a wing.
On Wednesday, a Delta spokesperson announced the airline is offering $30,000 to passengers aboard the flight. The Delta Care Team informed passengers that “this gesture has no strings attached and does not affect rights.”
As of Thursday, all 21 passengers injured in the crash have been discharged from the hospital. All 80 individuals on board Flight 4819 — 76 passengers and four crew members — survived the incident.
— news from CBS News