(NewsNation) — Former Federal Aviation Administration official Billy Nolen said that while there’s plenty unknown about Monday’s crash in Toronto, “this is something that pilots do indeed train for.”
Nolen served as acting administrator of the FAA from April 2022 to June 2023.
He joined “The Hill on NewsNation” just hours after Delta Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, crashed and flipped on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson Airport. All 76 passengers and four crew members were evacuated, with 18 reported injured as of Monday night.
Nolen didn’t speculate on what he believes happened, but he told NewsNation political editor Chris Stirewalt that weather could have played a role in the incident.
“You know, they’ll think about what’s the crosswind here? Were they beyond the limits?” Nolen said. “And that’s just information we don’t have.”
At the time of the crash, weather reports showed Toronto experiencing 31 mph hour winds with gusts upwards of 40 mph and a temperature of 18 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of minus 5 F.
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An anonymous source from the agency told The Associated Press that impacted workers include radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance workers.
“My understanding for the folks who were let go in this round [is] that these were not folks who are the critical pieces of air traffic control,” Nolen told NewsNation.
He implored the administration to keep in mind the “unintended consequences” of the firings, though he supports the overhaul of the FAA if it helps in the long run.
“I’ve testified, both before the House and before the Senate, that the FAA oversees systems of systems and facilities that are between 40 and 60 years old,” Nolen explained. “So, I think it’s an opportune time for Elon, for others, to come in.”
An American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided in midair in Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people on board; a military plane crashed into the San Diego Bay; a plane crashed in Alaska and a medical jet crashed in Philadelphia all in the first few weeks of 2025.
Nolen believes this spate of accidents is just that, pointing to the tens of thousands of successful, safe flights that aren’t reported on every day.
“That being said, we can never rest on our record, and we certainly can never rest on our laurels when it comes to keeping the flying public safe,” Nolen added.
NewsNation’s Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.
