Avelo Airlines Captain Sues for Retaliation After Reporting Cockpit Safety Violations — FAA Substantiates Her Complaints A federal lawsuit filed April 23, 2026 in the District of Connecticut (Duffy v. Avelo Airlines, Case 3:26-cv-00634) details a pattern of alleged retaliation and sex discrimination against the airline’s only female captain.

Background Kimberly Duffy, a Boeing 737 captain with thousands of hours of experience including prior Air Force service, was hired by Avelo Airlines in September 2023 to fly out of Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN). She was the airline’s only female captain for her entire tenure.

It started on day one of training Duffy flagged multiple instructor errors during initial training — incorrect wing anti-ice guidance, a wrong schematic in the Quick Reference Handbook, and incorrect ILS procedure instruction. The instructors were wrong; Avelo’s own FAA-approved manuals backed her up. Instead of fixing the training deficiencies, Avelo issued her a written performance notice and pulled her from her training cohort for six weeks — docking her pay in the process. The male instructors who yelled at her in the hallway loudly enough to disrupt other classrooms faced no discipline.

The flight from hell — February 19, 2025 This is where it gets serious. Duffy was paired as First Officer under Captain David Manopla on Flight 465, HVN to Tampa. She documented approximately eleven separate FAA violations on a single flight:

• Failed to conduct required pre-flight, route, and emergency briefings

• Removed hands from thrust levers during the takeoff roll (“stirred the stick like a fighter pilot”)

• Didn’t notice the autothrottle had bled the aircraft to 174 knots when it should have been at 200 knots

• Refused to follow flight director guidance or engage autopilot while in IMC (instrument conditions) — creating risk of spatial disorientation and CFIT

• At cruise above FL350, yanked the throttles back abruptly instead of using speed brakes or FMC — risked dual engine flameout or compressor stall

• Made a false radio call on the ARINC dispatcher frequency suggesting Duffy was incapacitated — apparently to intimidate her and discredit her with dispatch. She was then pulled from the return flight.

• Reduced fuel reserves below FAA minimums without authorization

• Removed waypoints from the FMS without ATC coordination, then denied doing it

• Failed to correctly operate the weather radar in heavy precipitation

• When ATC ordered a go-around (caused by his own non-compliance with assigned speeds), failed to select TOGA thrust — risking runway incursion, stall, or CFIT

• Shut down the wrong engine during taxi-in. When Duffy pointed it out, he shouted profanity at her.

Multiple first officers had previously complained about Manopla. At least one reported him directly to the Chief Pilot and VP of Operations. Avelo was aware he had a prior altitude violation in RVSM airspace. He was still flying.

The safety reports and the firing At 4:30 a.m. on February 20, Duffy filed a formal five-page safety report through Avelo’s Vistair system — which automatically triggers mandatory FAA disclosure. Two days later she filed a second report about another captain’s unsafe line training practices. Seven days after the Vistair filing, she was terminated. The stated reason: she allegedly “berated” a ground crew member during a pushback. No investigation was conducted before the termination call. Avelo couldn’t consistently state the correct date the incident supposedly occurred, at one point citing a date when she wasn’t even working. The subject matter — wingtip clearance during pushback — is literally the captain’s safety responsibility. Chief Pilot Bob Lieser’s explanation for the termination included that Duffy “has a superior attitude.”

Post-termination retaliation Avelo initially offered to record her separation as a resignation to protect her FAA Pilot Records Database (PRD) entry. She accepted. After she filed whistleblower complaints with the FAA and OSHA, Avelo reversed course and marked her PRD as “terminated not for pilot performance” — a flag that appears on every background check and is effectively an industry blacklist. Head of Flight Operations Scott Hall then sent an all-crew message calling her FAA complaint “mudslinging” and “made up stories,” and asked employees to contact Avelo leadership before speaking with FAA investigators. That message is attached to the complaint as Exhibit A. Avelo also quietly killed a conditional employment offer it had previously extended to her husband.

The FAA didn’t agree with Scott Hall Despite Hall’s memo, the FAA investigated and substantiated violations. In March 2026, the FAA proposed $65,000 in fines against Avelo related to failures in mandatory drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive employees.

The sex discrimination picture

• A male captain who physically struck a female flight attendant was not terminated. He was later promoted to line training captain.

• A male captain who had a heated argument with gate agents faced no discipline and was promoted.

• Manopla — with his documented history of unsafe flying and prior complaints — was not terminated.

• Duffy was repeatedly passed over for promotions (Line Training Captain, FOQA Gatekeeper, Sim Instructor). Each time, a man was selected.

• Training supervisor Captain Kilgore admitted to Duffy that male pilots felt they needed to “put her in her place,” and that what annoyed them was her reciting the emergency briefing from memory. He also admitted to distributing misogynistic “Red Pill” content to male pilots and flight attendants.

• In 2023, another female Avelo pilot complained that a male captain had yelled “Shut up, Bitch” at her in the cockpit and physically grabbed her controls while she was flying. She was grounded; he kept flying. She resigned with two weeks’ notice. Avelo called her before the two weeks were up and fired her anyway — then marked her PRD as terminated, not resigned.

The lawsuit Filed April 23, 2026. Two counts: retaliation under Connecticut General Statutes § 31-51q, and sex discrimination under Title VII. Relief sought includes back pay, reinstatement, punitive damages, correction of her PRD record, and a jury trial. The complaint was filed by attorney Todd Steigman of Madsen, Prestley & Parenteau in Hartford.

Source: U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, Case 3:26-cv-00634-SVN, Complaint filed 04/23/2026

AI is nice for summarizing these. This is from Claude:

Avelo Airlines Captain Sues for Retaliation After Reporting Cockpit Safety Violations — FAA Substantiates Her Complaints A federal lawsuit filed April 23, 2026 in the District of Connecticut (Duffy v. Avelo Airlines, Case 3:26-cv-00634) details a pattern of alleged retaliation and sex discrimination against the airline’s only female captain.

Background Kimberly Duffy, a Boeing 737 captain with thousands of hours of experience including prior Air Force service, was hired by Avelo Airlines in September 2023 to fly out of Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN). She was the airline’s only female captain for her entire tenure.

It started on day one of training Duffy flagged multiple instructor errors during initial training — incorrect wing anti-ice guidance, a wrong schematic in the Quick Reference Handbook, and incorrect ILS procedure instruction. The instructors were wrong; Avelo’s own FAA-approved manuals backed her up. Instead of fixing the training deficiencies, Avelo issued her a written performance notice and pulled her from her training cohort for six weeks — docking her pay in the process. The male instructors who yelled at her in the hallway loudly enough to disrupt other classrooms faced no discipline.

Duffy was paired as First Officer under Captain David Manopla on Flight 465, HVN to Tampa. She documented approximately eleven separate FAA violations on a single flight: • Failed to conduct required pre-flight, route, and emergency briefings • Removed hands from thrust levers during the takeoff roll (“stirred the stick like a fighter pilot”) • Didn’t notice the autothrottle had bled the aircraft to 174 knots when it should have been at 200 knots • Refused to follow flight director guidance or engage autopilot while in IMC (instrument conditions) — creating risk of spatial disorientation and CFIT • At cruise above FL350, yanked the throttles back abruptly instead of using speed brakes or FMC — risked dual engine flameout or compressor stall • Made a false radio call on the ARINC dispatcher frequency suggesting Duffy was incapacitated — apparently to intimidate her and discredit her with dispatch. She was then pulled from the return flight. • Reduced fuel reserves below FAA minimums without authorization • Removed waypoints from the FMS without ATC coordination, then denied doing it • Failed to correctly operate the weather radar in heavy precipitation • When ATC ordered a go-around (caused by his own non-compliance with assigned speeds), failed to select TOGA thrust — risking runway incursion, stall, or CFIT • Shut down the wrong engine during taxi-in. When Duffy pointed it out, he shouted profanity at her. Multiple first officers had previously complained about Manopla. At least one reported him directly to the Chief Pilot and VP of Operations. Avelo was aware he had a prior altitude violation in RVSM airspace. He was still flying.

The safety reports and the firing At 4:30 a.m. on February 20, Duffy filed a formal five-page safety report through Avelo’s Vistair system — which automatically triggers mandatory FAA disclosure. Two days later she filed a second report about another captain’s unsafe line training practices. Seven days after the Vistair filing, she was terminated. The stated reason: she allegedly “berated” a ground crew member during a pushback. No investigation was conducted before the termination call. Avelo couldn’t consistently state the correct date the incident supposedly occurred, at one point citing a date when she wasn’t even working. The subject matter — wingtip clearance during pushback — is literally the captain’s safety responsibility. Chief Pilot Bob Lieser’s explanation for the termination included that Duffy “has a superior attitude.”

Post-termination retaliation Avelo initially offered to record her separation as a resignation to protect her FAA Pilot Records Database (PRD) entry. She accepted. After she filed whistleblower complaints with the FAA and OSHA, Avelo reversed course and marked her PRD as “terminated not for pilot performance” — a flag that appears on every background check and is effectively an industry blacklist. Head of Flight Operations Scott Hall then sent an all-crew message calling her FAA complaint “mudslinging” and “made up stories,” and asked employees to contact Avelo leadership before speaking with FAA investigators. That message is attached to the complaint as Exhibit A. Avelo also quietly killed a conditional employment offer it had previously extended to her husband.

The FAA didn’t agree with Scott Hall Despite Hall’s memo, the FAA investigated and substantiated violations. In March 2026, the FAA proposed $65,000 in fines against Avelo related to failures in mandatory drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive employees.

The sex discrimination picture • A male captain who physically struck a female flight attendant was not terminated. He was later promoted to line training captain. • A male captain who had a heated argument with gate agents faced no discipline and was promoted. • Manopla — with his documented history of unsafe flying and prior complaints — was not terminated. • Duffy was repeatedly passed over for promotions (Line Training Captain, FOQA Gatekeeper, Sim Instructor). Each time, a man was selected. • Training supervisor Captain Kilgore admitted to Duffy that male pilots felt they needed to “put her in her place,” and that what annoyed them was her reciting the emergency briefing from memory. He also admitted to distributing misogynistic “Red Pill” content to male pilots and flight attendants. • In 2023, another female Avelo pilot complained that a male captain had yelled “Shut up, Bitch” at her in the cockpit and physically grabbed her controls while she was flying. She was grounded; he kept flying. She resigned with two weeks’ notice. Avelo called her before the two weeks were up and fired her anyway — then marked her PRD as terminated, not resigned.

The lawsuit Filed April 23, 2026. Two counts: retaliation under Connecticut General Statutes § 31-51q, and sex discrimination under Title VII. Relief sought includes back pay, reinstatement, punitive damages, correction of her PRD record, and a jury trial. The complaint was filed by attorney Todd Steigman of Madsen, Prestley & Parenteau in Hartford.

Source: U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, Case 3:26-cv-00634-SVN, Complaint filed 04/23/2026