Flight attendant accuses Delta of using ‘inexperienced’ pilot on plane that crashed at Pearson airport: lawsuit

This image taken from video released by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, shows the crashed plane of Delta flight 4819 at Toronto Pearson International Airport, in Mississauga, Ontario, on Tuesday, Feb. 18. (Transportation Safety Board of Canada via AP)

A flight attendant who was a passenger on board the Delta Air Lines plane that crashed on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this year is now suing the airline, alleging it demonstrated a “reckless disregard for passenger safety” by assigning an “inexperienced pilot” to the flight.

Vanessa Miles, who works as a flight attendant for Delta, is seeking US$75 million in damages, according to a complaint filed in U.S. federal court.

None of the allegations have been proven in court and Delta Air Lines has not yet responded to CP24’s request for comment.

Miles said she sustained severe injuries as a result of the fiery crash, which occurred at the Toronto area airport on Feb. 17.

Eighty people were on board the Endeavor Air flight from Minnesota when it hit the tarmac at Pearson, rolled on to its roof, and skidded across the runway. Officials previously confirmed that 21 passengers and crew members were injured as a result of the incident.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in Michigan, Miles said she was not working that day but was “deadheading,” a term used when flight crew travel as a passenger to prepare for a future work assignment.

According to the lawsuit, the plane experienced a “violent and catastrophic drop” during landing and “struck the ground with excessive force” before coming to rest upside down on its roof.

‘Soaked in jet fuel’

The document states that Miles was temporarily rendered unconscious while hanging upside down from her seatbelt in the inverted plane.

“Upon regaining consciousness, she found herself soaked in jet fuel and surrounded by smoke, putting her at grave risk for chemical burns, asphyxiation, and death,” the lawsuit read.

After unbuckling her seatbelt and falling from the ceiling, Miles said she had to jump six to seven feet to the ground after the emergency slides failed to deploy.

The suit states that the plane exploded about two minutes after she got off the plane. She was later transported to a Toronto hospital for treatment.

She said the injuries that resulted from the incident include a fractured left shoulder, a traumatic brain injury, post-concussion syndrome, knee injuries, back injuries, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“This accident was caused, at least in part, by (the defendants) knowingly assigning an inexperienced and inadequately trained pilot to operate the flight, demonstrating a reckless disregard for passenger safety in pursuit of operational efficiency,” the lawsuit alleges.

“Defendants cut corners on safety by rushing pilots through training programs and knowingly putting passengers at risk with inexperienced flight crew.”

The claim also alleges that the airline failed to properly maintain the aircraft’s landing gear and “related systems,” and failed to have adequate emergency response procedures in place.

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board in investigating the incident and in a preliminary report released in March, it found a warning system on the plane sent an alert “indicating a high rate of descent” less than three seconds before the crash.

The full report could take until late next year to be completed, the TSB previously said.

Multiple passengers, including Canadians, have filed separate lawsuits against Delta and the company’s regional carrier Endeavor Air, in U.S. courts, including in Minnesota, Georgia, and Texas.

Delta previously responded to one of the lawsuits in a court filing on May 30, indicating that the airline “denies all allegations” made by a passenger who claimed to have suffered “significant injuries” as a result of the crash.

The company previously told CTV News that it fully support the TSB’s ongoing investigation.

With files from CTV News Senior Correspondent Adrian Ghobrial