Delta releases information about crew aboard flight that crashed, flipped in Toronto

February 20, 2025

CBS News,

Delta plane flips over in Toronto (Photo from MGN)

(CBS News) — Delta Air Lines has revealed information about the crew on board a flight from Minneapolis that crashed and flipped upside down at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday.

Officials say the captain was hired by Mesaba Airlines in October 2007, which merged with Pinnacle Airlines in 2012 to form Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta. Additionally, he has served as an active duty captain and in pilot training and flight safety capacities.

CBS News learned the first officer graduated from a university with an accredited and well-respected aviation program, and so was able to start working with fewer than 1,500 hours under a Restricted Air Transport Pilot certificate. She crossed the 1,500-hour mark and earned her full ATP certificate in January 2023, which is the highest-level pilot certification in the U.S., before completing training last April, and has been flying for Endeavor since then.

Delta says her flight experience “exceeded the minimum requirements” set by federal regulations.

She passed all of her check rides and there were “no red flags” about her pilot skills, a source familiar told CBS News.

Delta added that claims spreading online alleging the captain and first officer had failed training events were false, and both crew members are Federal Aviation Administration certified for their positions.

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