Cessna Being Sued by Family of Pilot

[Swass]

Family of pilot sues Cessna over crash

BY MOLLY MCMILLIN

The Wichita Eagle

The family of the pilot killed in a crash of a Cessna Caravan airplane has filed suit against Cessna Aircraft Co. alleging fraud, product liability, negligence and breach of warranty.
The family is seeking $25 million in punitive damages for the loss of their mother, Nancy Chase Allen, an air cargo pilot for a FedEx feeder airline.
Cessna's policy is not to comment on any litigation, spokesman Doug Oliver said.
The Canadian Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash on Oct. 6, 2005, near a major intersection in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The board has cited in-flight airframe icing as a factor in the crash, according to the Nolan Law Group, a Chicago law firm representing the family.
Cessna is marketing the Caravan as a safe and secure plane for winter operations, the law firm said in a statement. But lives are being lost.
The Chicago law firm is representing victims and families from four accidents involving Caravan planes that have crashed from icing induced stalls.
"There is an undeniable pattern of design failure directly contributing to the growing number of people killed and injured in these crashes," the firm said in a statement.



What design failure? This crap is ridiculous. Last time I checked ice sticks to every airplane.

 

[ground stop]

sue for a large amount, then cessna will settle for $2 mil or so. lawyers get $1 mil then divide the rest between the people in the class action. easy money, just work for the plantiff's clerks and cessna's lawyers.

 

[big_al]

so accountability over your actions and what products you make, is wrong?

 

[Hung Start]

"There is an undeniable pattern of design failure directly contributing to the growing number of people killed and injured in these crashes," the firm said in a statement.

Sure is. A badly trained or prepared pilot.

Hung

 

[torchred]

Good point when it comes to the pilots training and preparedness for such conditions, especially in Winnipeg!

 

[Swass]

so accountability over your actions and what products you make, is wrong?

How is Cessna liable?

How about this -
Send a bill to Bic for every forest fire that was caused by lighting a cigarette and then tossing the butt out of your car window. Is Bic liable or is the smoker?

Read my sig. Idiot.

 

[Hung Start]

I can easily think of at least a dozen guys on this board who flew up in Maine, all winter long. Slogging along in piston twins well below 10,000 feet, day in and day out. Or, should I say, all night long! All of the Northeast and Canada.
I never heard of a trip canceled because of flying conditions, but I can recall cancelled trips because the runways were too iced up to land!

Were we all lucky?? I don't think the odds were that good. And, did we all get scared sh#tless once and a while,, you betcha!! But nobody I know got hurt because of in-flight icing.
You learn early on to prepair for it, and respect it.

Hung

 

[ksu_aviator]

If the aircraft is tested to be unsafe than Cessna is liable for making false claims about a product. If the pilots exceeded published limits than they are liable.

 

[MrPink1911]

i hesitate to say problem, but if there wasn't an issue then the FAA would not have issued the airworthiness directive regarding C208s and icing.... it hasn't been isolated incidents of C208s having problems with icing.... personally, i like the airplane, but when as the temps keep on dropping, you can bet that i am not just going to blindly punch through icing conditions.... i guess the bottom line is, all 208 drivers should be aware of the planes propensity to accumulate ice, and should all have some sort of plan in mind to deal with it when its encountered.... pilot training, yes..... after all, the PIC has the responsibility for flying into the conditions in the first place.... my $.02 thank you.

 

[AC560]

How about this -
Send a bill to Bic for every forest fire that was caused by lighting a cigarette and then tossing the butt out of your car window. Is Bic liable or is the smoker?

That one is easy, Big Tobacco is to blame.