Issue No. 4, 2025

In this issue of Crosswinds: Turbulence and crisis in reputation are what often bring clients to us. We stay with our clients through every “rollout” – controlled landing, the point where flight ends and maximum weight on landing gear and controlling the aircraft to braking begins.


Thomas Graham

Staying steady through the Turbulence

On February 17, Delta Connection Flight 4819 landed hard on a snow-swept runway in Toronto.

A powerful gust and a rapid descent pushed the CRJ-900LR regional jet past the margin of stability. The right-wing separated from the fuselage, a fire broke out, and the aircraft ultimately came to rest inverted on the icy ground.

Miraculously, all 80 souls aboard survived.

As Canadian authorities continue to investigate, the preliminary report is clear: the approach was slightly too fast. Then too slow. And the aircraft’s power was pulled back too soon. The descent rate was too high. And in gusting crosswinds—of the kind that can catch even seasoned pilots by surprise—those few seconds made all the difference.

From the report:
At 1412:30, while the aircraft was descending through 153 feet (above ground level), its indicated airspeed increased to 154 knots whereas the ground speed did not change appreciably, consistent with a performance-increasing wind gust. The (pilot) pulled back the thrust levers, and as a result, over the following 5 seconds, N1(speed of turbine fans) decreased from 64% to approximately 43%, where it remained until touchdown. The airspeed began to decrease.

That was the critical point for Delta 4819. The decreased speed meant further loss of aircraft control. The aircraft tilted more into the gusting winds and began to sink faster toward the ground.

As a private pilot myself, with almost 2,000 hours in the cockpit—many of them earned on the gusty plains of Amarillo—I read the report with a familiar knot in my stomach.

I remember learning, early on, that the most demanding part of any flight isn’t found at altitude. It’s found in the final seconds before the wheels meet the runway. Especially when the wind is working against you.

That’s why I named this firm Crosswind.

Crosswind landings are a test of control, composure, and judgment—skills honed through experience. And that’s what our team brings to the table. In communications, there are few smooth, straight-in approaches. The wind often shifts. The pressure is high.

You can find yourself descending fast into uncertainty.

 

Guiding clients to a successful landing

But we’ve been there. Our team is made up of seasoned professionals who have guided clients through everything from corporate collapse and high-stakes litigation to cyberattacks, proxy fights, M&A scrutiny, and even military conflict. There are few crisis scenarios someone on our team hasn’t navigated firsthand.

And just like in aviation, sometimes the key to a successful landing is keeping your speed up, your awareness high, and your power steady—all the way through to “rollout” … the final phase of return, slowing down the runway to taxi speed and the gate.

The TSB’s full report will no doubt shed additional light on what went wrong—and what can be improved. For now, we’re grateful no lives were lost. But the incident is a reminder that even routine landings can turn dangerous in turbulent conditions, especially when experience is in short supply.

At Crosswind Media & Public Relations, we’re built for those turbulent moments. We’re steady in a crisis. We know when to adjust for the wind. And we stay with our clients through every rollout, until the mission is complete.

 

Thomas Graham is president and CEO of Crosswind Media & Public Relations, a national corporate affairs consultancy with offices in Austin, Texas and Washington, D.C

 

We’d love to hear from you.

Please email info@crosswindpr.com