No fatalities is 'incredibly fortunate' in Toronto crash, former commercial pilot says
Former acting FAA administrator Daniel Elwell analyzes the Toronto plane crash on 'The Story.'
The Delta Air Lines plane that landed upside down in Toronto in February suffered a landing gear collapse as it made contact with the runway, according to a new report.
Investigators released a preliminary report on the crash on Thursday, saying the jet had descended at a high rate of speed, triggering a safety alarm to go off in the cockpit just 2.6 seconds before landing. The plane's right main landing gear collapsed on contact with the runway.
"At touchdown, the following occurred: the side-stay that is attached to the right [main landing gear] fractured, the landing gear folded into the retracted position, the wing root fractured between the fuselage and the landing gear, and the wing detached from the fuselage, releasing a cloud of jet fuel, which caught fire," the report stated.
"The exact sequence of these events is still to be determined by further examination of the fracture surfaces," it clarified.
Photo split showing the scene of a Delta Air Lines plane crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Feb. 17. (Reuters/Cole Burston)
Miraculously, all 80 passengers and crew aboard the Delta flight survived the crash, though dozens suffered some level of injury.
DELTA OFFERS PAYMENT TO VICTIMS AMID INVESTIGATION OF PLANE THAT FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN
Multiple investigations into the crash are still ongoing, but Delta has pushed back against online rumors and "misleading assertions" about the crew aboard Flight 4819, operated by its subsidiary Endeavor Air.
Passengers evacuate a Delta Air Lines plane after it crashed into the runway of Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, on Feb. 17. (Nate Richie)
The flight’s captain was hired in October 2007 by Mesaba Airlines and served as an active duty captain and in pilot training and safety capacities, the airline said. Mesaba Airlines merged with Pinnacle Airlines in 2012, leading to the creation of Endeavor Air.
"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," the airline said Thursday in a statement.
A Delta Air Lines plane is seen upside down after it crashed into the runway of Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, on Feb. 17. (Nate Richie)
Delta also said that both the captain and first officer are "qualified and FAA certified for their positions."
Shortly after the crash, Delta announced that it would be offering $30,000 to each of the victims aboard flight 4819, including 76 passengers and four crew members.
The payments have "no strings attached," a spokesperson for the airline told FOX Business, meaning that passengers who accept the $30,000 could potentially still take legal action.
Fox News' Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
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