A flight attendant on board a Delta plane that crash-landed in Canada and flipped upside down claims an inexperienced pilot is to blame for the incident in a bombshell new lawsuit.
Vanessa Miles, 67, who worked for Delta’s regional subsidiary Endeavor Air as a flight attendant, was traveling as a passenger on the regional aircraft to her next assignment when it crashed on February 17.
Endeavor Flight 4819 a crash-landed in Toronto from Minneapolis and burst into flames after flipping over and skidding on the tarmac.
Dozens were hospitalized but miraculously all 76 passengers and four crew members survived the horrific crash.
Now a lawsuit filed against both Delta Air Lines and Endeavor in federal court in Michigan on Monday claims the fiery crash was caused by, ‘an inexperienced and inadequately trained pilot’.
Miles is seeking $75 million in damages for the injuries she allegedly suffered from the crash while ‘deadheading,’ meaning she was traveling as a passenger and not allowed to perform any work duties.
The flight attendant was left unconscious and dangling upside down by her seatbelt following the crash, the filing states.
Miles accused the airlines of a ‘reckless disregard for passenger safety’, in the lawsuit, asserting that the, ‘accident was caused, at least in part, by [the airlines] knowingly assigning an inexperienced and inadequately trained pilot to operate the flight’.
A flight attendant on board a Delta plane that crash-landed in Toronto (pictured) on February 17 claimed inexperienced pilots are to blame for the incident
Vanessa Miles (pictured), 67, who worked for Endeavor Air as a flight attendant but was flying as a passenger on the flight, said she suffered severe injuries from the crash
The airlines, ‘cut corners on safety by rushing pilots through training programs and knowingly putting passengers at risk with inexperienced flight crew’, the lawsuit states.
Delta declined to comment on the pending litigation, but directed the Daily Mail to their previous statements on the Endeavor Air 4819 flight crew, insisting they are qualified and adequately trained.
The unidentified captain of the plane had worked for Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta, for 18 years. He has flown a total of 3,570 hours across his career and is also a training instructor.
On the day of the crash, he was coming onto his first shift of the week. It was also the first flight of the day.
His co-pilot, who has also not been identified, had worked with Endeavor for just over a year and had flown an estimated 1,422 hours across the span of her career.
The co-pilot was on her final shift of the week. Both the captain and first officer are ‘qualified and FAA certified for their positions’.
Miles claimed she suffered a fractured left shoulder/scapula, traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness, post-concussion syndrome with headaches, dizziness, and other cognitive difficulties, bilateral knee injuries, back injuries, exposure to jet fuel and toxic fumes, and psychological trauma including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The court document claims to provide detail on her terrifying experience during the crash.
‘[Miles] was rendered temporarily unconscious while hanging upside down from her seatbelt in the inverted aircraft,’ the filing said.
Dozens were hospitalized, but miraculously, all 76 passengers and four crew members survived the horrific crash
‘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.’
Miles fell approximately six to seven feet to the ground during the evacuation because the emergency slides had not deployed, further aggravating her injuries, the complaint states.
She said the plane exploded two minutes after she exited the aircraft, but claims she was forced to stand outside in the frigid weather for one hour before she was taken to the hospital, per the filing.
‘Our complaint alleges that Delta Air Lines and Endeavor Air failed basic safeguards, training, and evacuation procedures on Flight 4819’s crash-landing in Toronto, putting cost and schedule ahead of safety and leaving Ms. Miles with significant injuries,’ her lawyers told the Daily Mail.
‘Proceeding under the Montreal Convention, we are seeking full accountability and compensation for our client.”
In March, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada released a preliminary report detailing the current ‘focus areas’ of the investigation, but the information that has been garnered so far.
Landing techniques offered in pilot training, as well as training for flight attendants are being probed, along with the landing gear and wing structure.
Authorities are also examining cabin obstructions and impediments once inverted, as well as ‘coordination in emergencies’ and ‘organizational and management factors.’
The report determined that the plane suffered a right-side landing gear collapse as it made contact with the runway, as challenging wind gusts hampered efforts to land.
When contacted on Friday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada did not have an update on the ongoing investigation.
