A flight attendant has filed a $75 million lawsuit against Delta Air Lines, claiming the airline was negligent in connection with a February crash landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Flight Attendant Sues Delta And Endeavor After Toronto Crash Landing

The plaintiff, Vanessa Miles, argues that Delta and its regional subsidiary, Endeavor Air, recklessly assigned an inexperienced pilot to operate the flight. According to the complaint, the incident left her with lasting physical injuries as well as severe emotional trauma.

Miles was not the flight attendant who evacuated passengers from the Bombardier CRJ-900 aricraft in a viral video after the crash of DL4819 in Toronto (YYZ) on February 17, 2025. The CRJ-900 flipped over, shedding a wing, spilling jet fuel, and settling upside-down on the runway. All 80 aboard survived, though 21 were injured. Witnesses described passengers hanging “like bats” before evacuating into frigid temperatures. Indecision on the tarmac left evacuees waiting nearly an hour on the icy ground. The preliminary report from Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) points to rapid descent amid wintry crosswinds (i.e. pilot error), with final findings expected in autumn 2026.

Rather, Miles was an off-duty Endeavor flight attendant onboard (she was repositioning for work). Her $75 million lawsuit, filed in federal court (Eastern District of Michigan), alleges gross negligence by Delta and Endeavor. Specifically, she asserts that the crew lacked proper training and were rushed into service, creating an unsafe environment.

Miles says she woke unconscious, soaked in jet fuel, suspended by her seatbelt. She fell head-first into the ceiling upon regaining consciousness and, unable to use slides that failed to deploy, dropped six to seven feet to the tarmac. She suffered traumatic brain injury, a fractured shoulder, back and knee injuries, and significant psychological trauma, including PTSD and depression.

Her lawsuit charges that Delta and Endeavor “cut corners on safety,” alleging inadequate training, subpar equipment maintenance, and poor emergency protocols. It’s the first lawsuit filed by crew among the nearly 20 lawsuits already filed by other passengers.

Delta and Endeavor have declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying only that they are cooperating fully with the TSB-led investigation.

You can read the lawsuit here.

CONCLUSION

A crew member has sued Delta Air Lines, alleging pilots were poorly trained and corners cut, leading to a needless crash that needlessly injured her and others. Her lawsuit stands out among almost two dozen others as being the first crew-initiated lawsuit from this incident.

Is this a reasonable lawsuit or an indefensible money grab?

> Read More on DL4819:

• “We Were Hanging Like Bats!” Video Captures Onboard Evacuation Of Crashed Delta Flight
• Delta Air Lines Offers $30,000 Compensation To Each Crash Victim With No Strings Attached
• Delta Air Lines Forced To Correct Misinformation About Pilots In Crash
• “I Was Drenched With Jet Fuel In A Burning Plane!” The Lawsuits Against Delta Air Lines Begin