TORONTO — A Delta Air Lines flight attendant is suing the carrier for US$75 million following a crash landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this year, alleging the airline showed “reckless disregard for passenger safety” by assigning an “inexperienced” pilot to the flight.
As reported by CTV News, the suit was filed by Vanessa Miles, who was travelling as a passenger on the Feb. 17 flight operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air. While not on duty, Miles was “deadheading” – a term for off-duty crew travelling to a future assignment — when the plane crash-landed, flipped onto its roof and skidded along the runway. The crash injured 21 of the 80 people on board.
According to court documents filed in Michigan, Miles claims she was knocked unconscious and awoke hanging upside down in her seatbelt, “soaked in jet fuel and surrounded by smoke, putting her at grave risk for chemical burns, asphyxiation, and death.”
After freeing herself, Miles said she was forced to jump roughly six to seven feet to the ground, as the emergency slides failed to deploy. The lawsuit claims the aircraft exploded minutes after she exited. She was later treated in a Toronto hospital for multiple injuries, including a fractured shoulder and traumatic brain injury.
“This accident was caused, at least in part, by (the defendants) knowingly assigning an inexperienced and inadequately trained pilot to operate the flight, demonstrating a reckless disregard for passenger safety in pursuit of operational efficiency,” the lawsuit alleges. “Defendants cut corners on safety by rushing pilots through training programs and knowingly putting passengers at risk with inexperienced flight crew.”
The complaint also alleges failure to properly maintain the plane’s landing gear and emergency systems and inadequate emergency response procedures.
A preliminary report by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB), released in March, revealed that a cockpit warning indicated a high rate of descent less than three seconds before impact. The full TSB investigation remains ongoing and is expected to conclude late next year.
In a previous court filing from May 30 related to another passenger’s injury claim, Delta “denies all allegations.” The airline previously told CTV News that it fully supports the TSB’s investigation.
