Delta Air Lines is defending the qualifications of the pilots involved in Endeavor Air flight 4819, which erupted in flames and overturned following a hard landing in Toronto, as it battles “disinformation” about the accident.
“Endeavor Air and Delta are correcting disinformation in social media containing false and misleading assertions about the flight crew,” the Atlanta-headquartered carrier said on 20 February.
Delta says that both flight deck crew are “qualified and FAA certified for their positions”.
The 17 February accident – which all 80 passenger aboard the regional jet survived – is the latest aviation safety incident to grab the North American flying public’s attention, following the deadly collision of a PSA Airlines MHIRJ CRJ700 and a US Army helicopter in Washington, DC.
The captain of the CRJ900 involved in the fiery landing at Toronto Pearson International airport was hired in 2007 by Mesaba Airlines, ”a progenitor company of Endeavor Air”, Delta says, and has served both as a captain and in pilot-training capacities.
“Assertions that he failed training events are false,” the airline says. “Assertions that he failed to flow into a pilot position at Delta Air Lines due to training failures are also false.”
The first officer was hired by Endeavor in January 2024, and her flight requirements “exceeded the minimum requirements set by US federal regulations” Delta adds. ”Assertions that she failed training events are false.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from the CRJ900 and sent them to its laboratory for analysis, Ken Webster, the TSB’s manager of regional operations in Ontario, said during an accident investigation update on 18 February.
