While landing in windy conditions at Toronto Pearson Airport, Canadian investigators investigated the February 17 crash crash of the Effort Airlines MHIRJ CRJ900, focusing on the descent rate of regional jets.
The Canada Road Safety Board (TSB) is also considering pilot and effort pilot training actions.
In a preliminary accident report released on March 20, the agency says the CRJ900 had descended at 1,098 feet/min at 1,098 feet/min before reaching Runway 23 at a vertical acceleration of 3G.
The landing breaks down the main landing device on the right side of the jet, and the TSB notes that the shockstrats in the gear are designed to “absorb the energy” of a 720 feet/min descent when the aircraft is at its maximum landing weight.
“During the touchdown… a side stay attached to the aircraft's right main landing device was destroyed, landing gear was stored and the wing roots were destroyed between the landing gear and fuselage,” said TSB lead investigator Ken Webster.
“The right wing was detached from the fuselage and released a cloud of jet fuel, which set fire to while the aircraft began to slide along the runway.”
The CRJ900 (N932XJ) operated on February 17th as flight 4,819 from Minneapolis-Anaesthesia Paul International Airport to Toronto Pearson Airport. Delta Air Lines is making efforts to fly local routes on behalf of their parents.
“We remain fully involved as participants in the survey led by the Canada Road Safety Board. We respect the integrity of this work that continues through our final report, and Air and Delta will refrain from comment,” Career said.
At landing, the Toronto winds will blow from 270° between 20kt (37km/h) and plunge into about 35kt to snow, TSB says.
At an altitude of about 175 feet, the jet descended at 672 feet/min and flew at 144 kt. After some time, its airspeed jumped to 154kt, prompting the assistant officer flying the approach to pull back the thrust lever, causing the engine speed to drop from 64% to 43%.
Then, until the touchdown, the Jet continued to slow down, increasing its descent rate. We flew at 134kt and landed at 14:12 local time, dropping down at 1,098 feet/min, then deposited the bank to the right 7.5° and nose-up 1°.
After the right main gear broke down and the right wing separated, the jet slid down along the runway, rolling to the right, sliding onto some of the snowy grass and the runway 15L, stopping and falling.
“The passengers were hung upside down in their seats, hanging from safety belts, and many of their carry-on baggage and other items were on the aircraft ceiling,” TSB says. “Some passengers had difficulty releasing the safety belt buckle because it was inverted. Some of the injuries that passengers were injured occurred when they unleashed the safety belt and fell onto the ceiling.”
All 80 people on the jet (two pilots, two flight attendants and 76 passengers) were evacuated. According to the TSB, 21 people have been injured, including two who were seriously injured.
The jet's captain has been working for Endeavour Air since October 2007, recording 3,570 hours of flight time with the CRJ900, including 764 hours, but joined the airline in January, recording 1,422 hours of flight time with the CRJ900, including 419H.
Webster says TSB has discovered “obvious existing malfunctions” with the CRJ900.
As the investigation continues, the TSB will focus in particular on wing structure metallurgy and jet landing gear and wing structure certification. It will also look at “landing technology, hard landing, pilot training,” and “organizational and management factors,” Webster says.
