Airline Employee Who Survived Toronto Crash Claims Pilot Was ‘Inexperienced and Inadequately Trained’

A passenger who was aboard a Delta-operated flight that crash-landed and flipped over in Toronto earlier this year is now suing the airline.

According to a lawsuit filed on July 28, Vanessa Miles — a Michigan resident and employee of Endeavor Air — boarded Endeavor Air Flight 4819 in Minneapolis on Feb. 17, 2025. Though she worked for the airline, a regional subsidiary of Delta, she was flying as a passenger under a practice known as “deadheading,” used to position crew for future assignments.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the aircraft crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport around 2:45 p.m. local time. Video and photo evidence captured at the scene show the jet catching fire upon impact, skidding across the runway, and coming to a stop upside down.

All 80 people aboard — 76 passengers and four crew — were successfully evacuated, according to the FAA.

On the day of the crash, Delta stated that 18 passengers were injured and transported to local hospitals.

In the lawsuit, Miles and her legal team accuse Delta of “grossly negligent operation of the aircraft.”

“This accident was caused, at least in part, by Defendants knowingly assigning an inexperienced and inadequately trained pilot to operate the flight,” the complaint states. “Defendants cut corners on safety by rushing pilots through training programs and knowingly putting passengers at risk with inexperienced flight crew.”

The suit describes what Miles claims she endured during the incident: She was allegedly knocked unconscious while suspended upside down inside the overturned aircraft. Drenched in jet fuel and surrounded by smoke, she says she unbuckled her seatbelt and attempted to escape, only to fall six to seven feet because the emergency slides weren’t deployed. She then reportedly waited nearly an hour in 15-degree temperatures before being taken to a hospital.

Miles alleges that she suffered multiple serious and lasting injuries, including a fractured shoulder, traumatic brain injury, spinal damage, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression.

The legal filing includes claims of strict liability, negligence, and gross negligence. Miles is seeking at least $75 million in damages, plus legal fees.

“Ms. Miles suffered significant injuries when Delta Air Lines/Endeavor Air Flight 4819 crash-landed in Toronto after preventable safety, training, and evacuation failures, as alleged in our complaint,” said Madeline Sinkovich, an attorney with Mike Morse Law Firm, in a statement to PEOPLE. “We are pursuing full accountability and compensation in court.”

Delta declined to comment on the pending lawsuit. A spokesperson noted the company is “continuing to support the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s ongoing investigation.”

The agency’s preliminary report, released March 20, noted gusts of up to 35 knots as the plane approached Runway 23. During the hard landing, the right main landing gear failed, and the wing detached from the aircraft.

“For everyone at Endeavor Air and Delta, nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and our people,” the airline said in a previous statement. “That’s why 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.”