Aircraft Crash Investigation: Rapid Descent Revealed in Preliminary Report

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Preliminary Report Released on Toronto Plane Crash: Excessive Descent Rate Suspected

By Archyde News Staff | March 21, 2025

Toronto, Canada – A preliminary report released Thursday, March 20, 2025, by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) sheds light on the Delta Air Lines plane crash that occurred in Toronto on February 17, 2025. The investigation suggests that the aircraft descended too rapidly during landing, leading to a partial landing gear failure upon impact.

Delta Air Lines plane following the crash at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on february 17, 2025.
Peter Koukov / Via Reuters

Details of the Incident

The Delta air Lines flight, originating from Minnesota, United States, carried 76 passengers and four crew members. according to the TSB’s preliminary report, an alert warning of “a high descent rate” sounded in the cockpit moments before landing. The aircraft later touched down with excessive force, causing a wing to detach and a fire to erupt on the tarmac. Twenty-one people sustained injuries consequently of the accident. The rapid descent rate is now a key focus of the ongoing investigation.

Aviation experts note that descent rate is a critical factor in safe landings.A stabilized approach,where the descent rate,airspeed,and aircraft configuration are maintained within acceptable limits,is considered best practice. A high descent rate can lead to a hard landing, potentially exceeding the structural limits of the aircraft’s landing gear, as seemingly occurred in this incident.

To put this in outlook for U.S. readers, consider the LaGuardia Airport runway excursion in 2015 involving a Delta flight. While the causes differed, both events highlight the importance of controlled descent and the potential consequences of unstable approaches.

Investigation Underway

Yoan Marier,president of the TSB,stated in a video message that,”This is a complex investigation,and several aspects still require in -depth analyzes so that we can draw definitive conclusions.” The TSB has not yet specified a timeline for the release of the final report.

The preliminary findings indicate that just one second before touchdown, the aircraft was descending at a rate of 335 meters per minute, considerably exceeding the designed absorption capacity of 220 meters per minute. this excessive force contributed to the “broken” right landing gear upon impact,initiating the sequence of events that led to the plane’s partial disintegration and subsequent fire.

Investigators will likely examine a range of factors, including:

• Weather conditions at the time of the landing.
• The performance and maintenance history of the aircraft.
• The flight crew’s training and experience.
• air Traffic Control communications and instructions.
• Any potential mechanical issues with the aircraft’s control systems.

Recent Aviation Incidents in North America

The Toronto incident occurred amid heightened scrutiny of air safety following several other accidents in North America. The article mentions two incidents:

What actions, besides implementing technological improvements, coudl be taken to address the issue of unstable approaches in aviation and prevent incidents like the Delta Toronto plane crash?

Expert Interview: Analyzing the Delta Toronto Plane Crash – Descent Rate Concerns

Interview with captain Evelyn Reed, Aviation Safety Consultant

Interviewer: Captain Reed, thank you for joining us today. The preliminary report on the Delta flight crash in Toronto has just been released. As an aviation safety consultant, what are your initial reactions to the findings?

Captain Reed: Thank you for having me. The report’s emphasis on the excessive descent rate is a major factor, and entirely expected. we’ve seen this before in aviation accidents. It highlights the critical necessity of a stabilized approach during landing.

Interviewer: The report indicates a descent rate considerably higher than recommended. What are the implications of such a steep descent during landing?

Captain Reed: Quite simply, it increases the impact force dramatically. The landing gear,while designed to absorb a certain amount of force,has its limits.Going beyond those limits can lead to exactly what happened here: structural failure. It’s like slamming on the brakes too hard in a car; things are likely to break.

Interviewer: The report also mentions that an alert warning of a “high descent rate” was triggered in the cockpit. What does this tell us?

Captain Reed: It tells us that the aircraft’s systems were functioning as designed, alerting the crew to a risky situation. The critical question now is: why was this alert not effectively addressed? Was it a training issue, pilot error, or a mechanical malfunction that prevented a correction?

Interviewer: The TSB is investigating multiple factors, from weather to aircraft maintenance.Which of these, in your opinion, will likely be the most critical in determining the root cause?

Captain Reed: while they are all interconnected, I’d say the flight crew’s actions, and their adherence to standard operating procedures, will be paramount. Their training and experience, and how they responded to the high descent rate alert leading up to the landing are the primary focus.

Interviewer: Considering the recent aviation incidents, including the LaGuardia runway excursion, do you see a trend emerging in terms of safety concerns?

Captain Reed: There is always a constant need to evaluate the pilot’s experience to handle multiple issues.The common thread frequently enough involves unstable approaches. It’s vital for the industry to continually reinforce the importance of stabilized approaches and equip pilots with the skills and technologies to handle challenging situations, as well as to make aircraft more forgiving of mistakes. This industry is filled with multiple safety nets.

Interviewer: Captain Reed, given the implications of this crash and the ongoing investigation, what message would you give to the general public?

Captain Reed: Aviation is, without doubt, one of the safest forms of transport, and it’s getting safer by the day from ongoing reviews such as this one. But vigilance is key. The investigations are always ongoing looking at factors like equipment, human factors that affect the decisions that pilots make, and the environment on the aircraft.I believe that with the TSB’s commitment to aviation safety, aviation will continue to be one of the safest travel options, and it will create solutions to make it even safer. What do you think the single most important change that could prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future is?

Interviewer: Captain Reed, thank you for your insightful analysis.