A preliminary report released Thursday shows that the Delta Air Lines jet's alert system, which turned upside down and fell into flames as it attempted to land in Toronto last month, shows a high descent rate within three seconds of a touchdown.
The Canada Road Safety Board, which issued the report, continues its investigation into the February 17 crash landing, in which 21 people were hospitalized.
All 76 passengers and four crew survived when a Delta plane arrived from Minneapolis turned over and slid over the tarmac before surging. Flight 4819 was operated by Minneapolis-based Endeavor Air, a delta subsidiary.
“It is too early to come to a conclusion about the cause of this accident,” Canadian transport authorities said Thursday. However, the TSB of Canada Report outlines the sequence of events leading up to and afterwards.
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The report states that when the plane's ground melee warning system sounds 2.6 seconds before the touchdown, the airspeed was 136 knots, or about 155 mph. The plane's landing gear folded into a retracted position during a touchdown, the wings were detached from the fuselage, and clouds of jet fuel were released, setting fire as the plane slid along the runway.
The torso rolled upside down, with most of the tail coming off in the process, the report said.
“Accidents and incidents rarely arise from a single cause,” TSB Chairman Joan Maria said in a video statement Thursday. “They are often the result of multiple complex, interconnected factors, many extend beyond aircraft, and their operations extend to broader systematic issues.”
Crews and passengers began evacuating when the plane stopped, according to the report, adding that some passengers were injured when they unleashed their seat belts and fell to the ceiling.
TSB says it is not aware of seat belts and seating issues during the incident.
The cockpit doors were closed and closed, forcing the pilot to escape the emergency hatch on the cockpit ceiling after others left, the report says.
Emergency response personnel then entered the fuselage and soon there was an explosion outside the plane near the left wing, TSB says. The cause of the explosion has not been determined yet.
So far, the investigation has not found any existing flight control issues, but some components have been damaged in crash crashes.
The Safety Commission says the ongoing investigation focuses on several key areas, including metallurgical inspection of wing structures, landing technology, pilot training and the passenger evacuation process.
The report states that while the captain was monitoring, the first mate was flying the plane at the time of the crash. Delta has put in an effort to make Air and released information about their background, but has not identified the crew.
All those hospitalized were released within days of crash.
At least two lawsuits have been filed in the US, with the Canadian law firm saying it is held by several passengers.
“There's nothing more important than the safety of our customers and people. That's why we're still fully involved as we're participating in an investigation led by the Canada Road Safety Board,” Delta said after the release of the report.
“We will refrain from commenting on Air and Delta's efforts in respecting the integrity of this work continues through the final report,” the statement read.
