Delta Crash Survivor Sues Airline, Claims Pilot Was Inexperienced

A passenger who survived the February crash of a Delta-operated flight in Canada is suing the airline, claiming the pilot was inexperienced and poorly trained.

Vanessa Miles, a Michigan resident and employee of Endeavor Air, was traveling as a passenger on Endeavor Air Flight 4819 from Minneapolis to Toronto on February 17, 2025, when the plane crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The aircraft touched down around 2:45 p.m. local time, caught fire upon impact, slid off the runway, and flipped over, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Photos and videos from the scene showed flames and smoke as passengers were evacuated.

All 80 people on board—76 passengers and four crew members—were safely evacuated, though 18 were taken to local hospitals with injuries.

In a lawsuit filed on July 28, Miles and her legal team accuse Delta of “gross negligence” for allowing an unqualified pilot to operate the flight. The complaint alleges the airline “compromised flight safety by forcing pilots into rushed training programs and exposing passengers to inexperienced crew.”

Miles described the terrifying moments after the crash. She lost consciousness and found herself hanging upside down in the overturned aircraft, soaked in jet fuel and surrounded by smoke. With the emergency slides not deployed, she fell six to seven feet to the ground after unbuckling her seatbelt. She then waited an hour in 15°C weather before being transported to the hospital.

She suffered severe and lasting injuries, including a broken shoulder, a traumatic brain injury, back injuries, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her lawsuit seeks at least $75 million in damages, plus legal fees.