First lawsuit filed on DCA midair collision which killed 67 : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7799x5199+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F57%2F5f%2F5def09bf4e489f9bb0cf0d4d6a11%2Fap25267732310797.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7799x5199+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F57%2F5f%2F5def09bf4e489f9bb0cf0d4d6a11%2Fap25267732310797.jpg" class="img" alt="Rachel Crafton, left, wife of Casey Crafton, and Dailey Crafton, center, brother of Casey Crafton who perished on American Eagle flight 5342, are joined by Doug Lane, right, whose wife Christine Conrad Lane and son Spencer Seojin Lane also died on the same flight, prepare to talk with reporters Wednesday following a news conference regarding a lawsuit over the Jan. 29, 2025, mid-air collision between American Eagle flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter." fetchpriority="high"/> Rachel Crafton, left, spouse of Casey Crafton, and Dailey Crafton, heart, brother of Casey Crafton who perished on American Eagle flight 5342, are joined by Doug Lane, proper, whose spouse and son additionally died on the flight, put together to speak with reporters Wednesday relating to a lawsuit over the Jan. 29, 2025, mid-air collision with a U.S. Military Black Hawk Helicopter. Rod Lamkey/AP conceal caption

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Rod Lamkey/AP WASHINGTON — Casey Crafton was certainly one of 60 passengers who had been killed when an American Airways regional jet collided with a U.S. Military Blackhawk helicopter close to Washington, D.C. in January.

On Wednesday, his spouse Rachel Crafton turned the primary member of the family to file a wrongful demise lawsuit.

"Casey was a faithful father and husband, and we constructed a lovely life collectively," Rachel Crafton mentioned in ready remarks. "Our lives had been shattered in a second, and the grief has been unimaginable."

The lawsuit, filed in federal courtroom in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, names American Airways and PSA Airways, the regional provider that operated the flight, as defendants, together with the federal authorities. It is the primary of what are anticipated to be dozens of comparable fits.

A complete of 67 folks, together with the crew of the helicopter and the regional jet, died within the collision close to Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport, making it the deadliest air site visitors catastrophe within the U.S. in a long time. On Jan. 29., the jet had been cleared to land when the Military helicopter, which was on a nighttime coaching mission, struck the aircraft at an altitude of 278 toes. Each plane plunged into the Potomac River.

Federal investigators on the Nationwide Transportation Security Board held a three-day listening to on the collision in August. To this point, that investigation has revealed issues with the altimeters within the Military helicopter, which gave incorrect altitude readouts to the Black Hawk pilots. There have been additionally critical considerations about quite a few close to misses on the airport that predated the crash.

Legal professionals for the plaintiffs argue that American Airways must be held liable, as properly.

"The crash of American Eagle 5342 was predictable, it was preventable, and brought on the useless lack of 67 lives on that fateful night," mentioned Robert Clifford, a lawyer representing the Crafton household, at a press convention in Washington.

Clifford argues that the airline didn't adequately practice its crew on tips on how to safely navigate congestion round DCA, and that its efforts to maximise the variety of flights out and in of the airport quantity to "company negligence."

American Airways instantly pushed again.

"American has a robust observe report of placing the protection of our prospects and staff members above every part else," the corporate mentioned in a press release. "We proceed to assist the continuing NTSB investigation and can defend American and PSA Airways towards any authorized motion claiming the airline brought on or contributed to this accident."

A number of dozen members of the family of different crash victims additionally attended the press convention to indicate their assist for the Crafton household.

"Many people have been requested whether or not we dread the thought of rehashing the worst days of our lives in courtroom," mentioned Doug Lane, whose spouse Christine Conrad Lane and son Spencer Seojin Lane died within the collision. "We're right here to see this course of by means of, nonetheless lengthy it takes, to make sure that our members of the family have an enduring legacy that makes the world safer for everybody who flies."