VIDEO: Activists urge Trump to fire federal aviation workers amid Delta flight crash incident

A Delta Connection flight from Minneapolis-Saint Paul to Toronto made a dramatic crash-landing upside down at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon.

The incident occurred around 2:15 pm ET when Delta flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air using a CRJ-900 aircraft, was forced to land under extreme conditions.

Although the exact cause of the crash remains unclear, the timing of the incident coincided with wintry weather across the northern US and Canada. Gusts of wind up to 40 mph were reported at the time of the crash, though no snow was falling at the moment. However, the gusty winds blew around more than eight inches of snow that had accumulated at the airport over the weekend.

The flight was carrying 80 people at the time of the incident, including 76 passengers and four crew members. No fatalities have been reported, but the crash has drawn attention due to the unusual circumstances.

"The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by Monday’s incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement. "I want to express my thanks to the many Delta and Endeavor team members and first responders on site."

Federal aviation issues amid mass firings

Delta Air Lines is a major airline in the United States. As the carrier involved in the crash, it would be responsible for the aircraft, crew, and passenger safety under their operational standards. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would be responsible for investigating the cause of a crash, ensuring that safety protocols are followed, and issuing any necessary changes to regulations or operational procedures.

This incident comes at a time when the administration of US President Donald Trump has been making significant cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Trump’s administration has initiated a mass firing campaign, targeting hundreds of FAA employees, particularly those focused on radar, landing, and navigational maintenance.

Personnel from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, are scheduled to visit FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C., to continue their controversial efforts to access government data and streamline the federal workforce.

Some social media activists have linked the plane crash to concerns about corruption and inefficiencies within government departments, urging Trump to continue his efforts to address these issues.

Thanks Trump for freezing FAA flight control hires!

You are murdering people.

Or are u blaming DEI, Biden & Obama — under which we had nearly no major airline crashes???

BREAKING: Delta flight 4819 from Minneapolis/St. Paul, is upside down on the runway after landing at… pic.twitter.com/AKWSo8w4dn

— Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) February 17, 2025

The mass layoffs come less than three weeks after a deadly midair collision over Washington, D.C., that resulted in 67 deaths and brought attention to shortages of air traffic controllers and critical FAA infrastructure issues. The FAA’s system for distributing safety alerts to pilots failed shortly after the crash, forcing the agency to rely on backup systems.

Since taking office in January, President Trump, alongside Musk, has made sweeping changes to the federal workforce, firing key officials and encouraging 77,000 workers to voluntarily leave their jobs through a deferred resignation offer. On Thursday, the administration extended its termination campaign, instructing agencies to proceed with the layoffs of thousands of probationary employees.