Detroit, United States: A Detroit-based flight attendant has filed a $75 million lawsuit against Delta Air Lines and its regional carrier Endeavor Air, alleging negligence and “human error” in connection with a February crash landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport that left her severely injured.
According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Vanessa Miles, 39, claims she sustained life-altering injuries when Delta Connection Flight 4819 operated by Endeavor Air landed hard, flipped over, and briefly caught fire on February 17, 2025. She was traveling as a “deadheading” crew member, repositioning to another assignment, when the accident occurred.
The Bombardier CRJ-900 regional jet was arriving from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport with 80 people on board, including four crew members and 76 passengers. Preliminary findings from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada indicate the aircraft descended too rapidly during final approach, causing a landing gear collapse that led to the jet overturning on the runway. Twenty-one people were injured, there were no fatalities.
In its initial report, the TSB noted that the aircraft’s emergency locator beacon failed to activate and that evacuation slides did not function as intended. Passengers and crew evacuated through damaged exits while the aircraft emitted smoke.
Miles alleges Delta and Endeavor Air engaged in gross negligence by assigning an inexperienced captain to the flight and rushing pilot training to cut costs. The lawsuit claims both airlines failed to provide adequate safety equipment, citing the non-deployment of evacuation slides and poor in-cabin communication during the emergency. Court filings state that Delta and Endeavor “chose profit over safety” and ignored critical safety protocols, putting crew and passengers at “unnecessary and extreme risk.”
Miles says she suffered a traumatic brain injury, a fractured shoulder, spinal and knee injuries, chemical burns, post-traumatic stress disorder, and ongoing anxiety and depression. She claims these injuries have ended her career in aviation.
Delta Air Lines has declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing pending litigation, but stated it is cooperating fully with the TSB investigation. The airline has defended the training and certification of both the captain and first officer, saying that safety is its top priority. Endeavor Air has not issued a public statement.
The TSB’s full investigation is expected to take several more months and is examining flight data recorders, crew training logs, and maintenance history to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the hard landing and runway overturn.
