The alert system on a Delta Air Lines jet that flipped upside down and burst into flames as it tried to land in Toronto last month indicated a high rate of descent less than three seconds before touchdown, a preliminary report said Thursday.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which issued the report, continues to investigate the Feb. 17 crash-landing in which 21 people were hospitalized.

All 76 passengers and four crew members survived when the Delta plane arriving from Minneapolis burst into flames after flipping over and skidding on the tarmac.

The TSB of Canada report says that when the plane’s ground proximity warning system sounded 2.6 seconds before touchdown, the airspeed was 136 knots, or approximately 250 kph (155 mph). It says the plane’s landing gear folded into the retracted position at touchdown and the wing detached from the fuselage, releasing a cloud of jet fuel, which caught fire as the plane slid along the runway.

The fuselage rolled upside down and a large portion of the tail came off in the process, the report says.

“Accidents and incidents rarely stem from a single cause,” TSB chair Yoan Marier said in a video statement Thursday. “They’re often the result of multiple complex, interconnected factors, many extending beyond the aircraft and its operation to wider systemic issues.”

The crew and passengers started evacuating once the plane came to a stop, the report says, adding that some of the passengers were injured when they unbuckled their seatbelts and fell to the ceiling.

The TSB says it’s not aware of any issues with the seatbelts or seats during the incident.

The cockpit door was jammed shut, forcing pilots to escape through the emergency hatch on the ceiling of the cockpit after everyone else was out, the report says.

Emergency response personnel then went into the fuselage, and there was an explosion outside the plane near the left wing root shortly afterward, the TSB says. The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.

So far, the investigation has found no pre-existing problems with the flight controls, though some components were damaged in the crash, the board said.

The safety board says its ongoing investigation is focusing on several key areas, including metallurgical examination of the wing structure, landing techniques, pilot training and the passenger evacuation process.

All of those who were hospitalized were released within days of the crash.

At least two lawsuits have been filed in the United States, and a law firm in Canada has said that it’s been retained by several passengers.

Delta declined to comment on the preliminary report.

“We remain fully engaged as participants in the investigation led by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Out of respect for the integrity of this work that will continue through their final report, Endeavor Air and Delta will refrain from comment,” the airline said.

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Good morning!

Companies are already facing major pressure to scrap or change their DEI programs. Now further guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) is encouraging employees to join in on the fight by investigating DEI policies at their own companies. 

On Wednesday, the agencies released two documents entitled “What You Should Know About DEI-Related Discrimination at Work” and “What To Do If You Experience Discrimination Related to DEI at Work.” These new resources describe what counts as “DEI-related discrimination,” and how to report it to the EEOC. Perhaps most important though, they encourage the public to speak up if they can provide “a fact-specific basis” around why they believe certain policies or practices related to DEI violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. 

“These technical assistance documents will help employees know their rights and help employers take action to avoid unlawful DEI-related discrimination,” EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas wrote in a statement about the new guidance. The move follows similar recent anti-DEI efforts from Lucas. On Monday, she sent letters to 20 law firms requesting information about their diversity, equity, and inclusion-related employment practices. 

What do the new DOJ and EEOC employee guidelines mean for workplaces around the U.S.? They add to the heightened culture of fear for employers who are already nervous about trying to preserve their DEI policies in a tough political climate, says David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at New York University

“Employers are already very nervous, and feeling threatened with civil compliance investigations,” he says. “This latest guidance is pouring fuel on an already raging anti-DEI fire.”

But while these documents seem daunting at first glance, he notes that they don’t change any current laws. And he says that the bar for claiming DEI-related discrimination is very high. 

“I think guidance like this could make people unnecessarily worried about, ‘Oh no, what if our DEI trainings are creating a hostile work environment?’ When 99.9% of trainings don’t actually do that,” he says. 

In short, companies should make sure that their programs are bulletproof, but avoid scrapping them altogether, says Nonnie L. Shivers, attorney and office managing shareholder at legal firm Ogletree Deakins. She says many court cases have supported an employer’s right to train their employees, and create an equal opportunity workplace. 

“Employers should continue to conduct privileged assessments of their DEI programs and evaluate risk, leaning into existing civil rights law for what is legal as the law has not changed,” she says.

Brit Morse
brit.morse@fortune.com

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Good morning. CFOs and chief information officers (CIOs) steer technology to meet business needs. That also means justifying large AI investments. But when it comes to measuring the benefits of AI investments, the two C-suite leaders are not on the same page.  

A new report by KPMG reveals that more than a third (39%) of CFOs and 49% of CIOs consider the definition of technology ROI to be a contentious area. The findings are based on a survey of 102 CFOs and CIOs and their direct reports. 

Not only do they disagree on ROI, but also about who holds primary responsibility for AI and technology investments. Fifty-nine percent of CFOs claim this responsibility, while 61% of CIOs see it as their prerogative—a recipe for a potential power struggle.

The leaders also have different perspectives on whether collaboration works. About 57% of CFOs think collaboration can significantly improve operational efficiency, compared to 37% of CIOs. And just over half of CFOs believe collaboration can enhance risk management, while only 29% of CIOs agree.

“CFOs and CIOs need to collaborate to execute strategy and achieve goals,” Marcus Murph, KPMG U.S. head of technology consulting, said in a statement. 

There are some CIOs who do see the value of collaboration. For example, my colleague John Kell recently talked with Kim Anstett, the CIO at Trellix, who said she met with every department at the cybersecurity provider to discuss possible uses for AI agents. 

They came up with a massive list—over 100. But Anstett played a role in paring down the list and has begun a few pilots of the technology. “From a strategy perspective, initially we will limit the number of add-ons we purchase,” Anstett told Kell. “We’re looking at it from a cost perspective.” 

However, CEOs and boards are placing CFOs at the center of strategic AI investments, especially if it’s big and costly. Also, many companies are seeking tech-savvy finance talent. Of the 1,000 job listings for CFOs in January 2025, 27% included AI in the job description, research by software company Datarails finds. 

The ongoing debate over the ownership of business transformation continues, according to Sanjay Sehgal, KPMG U.S. advisory head of markets. “CIOs are focused on building and securing technology, and CFOs on leveraging the infrastructure to refine processes,” Sehgal said in a statement. “Yet, both see themselves as responsible for driving business transformation.”

Open communication, developing a unified strategy, and establishing a common framework and clear definitions of how to measure ROI, are among KPMG’s suggestions for CFOs and CIOs to see eye to eye.

What’s your perspective on the CFO-CIO dynamic? Send me an email and let me know.

Have a good weekend.

Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com

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