Aviation Expert: Clever Engineering and Quick-Thinking Crew Saved 80 Lives in Toronto Plane Crash

Toronto, Canada – When Delta Connection Flight 4819 crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, flipping upside down in a fiery wreck, many feared the worst. But in what aviation experts are calling a “miracle of modern engineering,” all 80 people on board survived.

Speaking to CNN, Michael McCormick, an associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, credited decades of aviation advancements for the outcome.

“That was absolutely phenomenal that you could see an aircraft on its back like that and have people walking away from it,” McCormick told CNN. “But my second thought was, well, that’s the design. That’s engineering. That’s the years of civil aviation research that enabled something like this to happen.”

How a Wing Ripping Off Helped Prevent Disaster

The Bombardier CRJ900, operated by Endeavor Air, was arriving from Minneapolis when it skidded off the runway at around 3:30 p.m. The impact tore off the aircraft’s right wing, igniting a massive fire. However, according to experts, that very structural failure may have saved lives.

Joe Jacobsen, an aerospace engineer who has worked for Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration, told CNN that this is an example of modern aircraft design working as intended.

“Things can break, but if it’s within design requirements, you have to see how it broke,” Jacobsen said. “In this case, the wing breaking off actually prevented the fire from reaching the cabin.”

Seatbelts and Safety Seats Saved Lives
Another major factor in preventing fatalities was the aircraft’s seating design. Aviation regulations require commercial planes to have 16G-rated seats, meaning they can withstand forces 16 times that of gravity.

“These seats aren’t just about comfort; they’re built for survivability,” McCormick explained to CNN. “Had the seats broken loose, passengers would have been violently thrown around the cabin.”

Seatbelts also played a critical role in keeping passengers secure during the crash.

“Without seatbelts, passengers surely would have been thrown around and would have sustained a lot more injuries,” Hassan Shahidi, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, told CNN.

Heroic Crew Evacuates Plane in Under 90 Seconds

Despite passengers hanging upside down, the flight attendants executed a textbook evacuation, guiding everyone out in under 90 seconds—an industry benchmark for emergency response.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, told CNN that the crew had never trained for a landing like this, but their preparation for emergency evacuations proved invaluable.

“They performed their jobs perfectly. They were heroic,” Nelson said.

McCormick emphasized that while engineering played a critical role in the survival of all 80 people, human skill made the difference.

“You cannot give enough credit to the cabin crew for the safe evacuation,” he told CNN. “They are much more than people who serve drinks—they are trained professionals responsible for saving lives.”

What Comes Next?

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash, focusing on factors such as mechanical issues and weather conditions.

While 15 passengers suffered injuries, none were life-threatening.

“What we saw in Toronto is a testament to modern aviation safety,” McCormick said. “Years of research, engineering, and training came together to prevent a tragedy.”