[12] The aircraft involved was a 15-year-old Bombardier CRJ900LR with the tail number N932XJ, a modified sub-variant of the CRJ900 series of planes produced by Bombardier, designed for longer range flights due to its higher maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) as compared to the base variant of the CRJ900, a jet commonly used to operate short to medium-haul regional flight and with a seating capacity of up to 90 passengers.

[citation needed] The flight had 80 people on board, consisting of 76 passengers and 4 crew members.

[17] At the time of the crash, snow was present on the runway following a winter storm in the previous weekend, while winds of 32 mph (51 kph) with gusts of to 40 mph (65 kph) and a temperature of about 16.5 degrees Fahrenheit (-8.6 degrees Celsius) were present at the airport.

[18] The video shows the inverted plane with its starboard wing missing and vertical fin torn off.

[20] The crash was the second write-off involving a CRJ700 series[b] aircraft in 2025, following the 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision near Washington Reagan National Airport in late January.

[18] Toronto Pearson International Airport was reported to be under a ground stop due to an aircraft emergency shortly after the crash, which restricted all departures or arrivals from leaving or landing, until 5 p.m. EST until the airport resumed departing and arriving traffic.