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In May 2005, a Cessna single-engine sightseeing plane crashed on a Coney Island beach, killing the pilot and the three tourists from West Virginia aboard. Now, the victims' families are suing plane's company for $45 million, claiming that the plane was never intended as a sightseeing vehicle. The Post reports that a NJ flight school had "advertised the flight as instructional time for potential student pilots," even though the West Virginia father, teenage daughter, and daughter's friend were told it was an "hourlong sightseeing tour." The lawsuit claims that the pilot was inexperienced and that Air Fleet Training Systems was negligent in hiring him.
And yesterday, a Delta commuter jet crashed in Kentucky, killing 49 people. Investigators believe that the pilot took off from a runway that was too short. The lone survivor, co-pilot James Polehinke, was reportedly based out of JFK Airport.
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Absurd lawsuit. The Cessna 172 is a popular training aircraft, but it's used for just about everything under the sun, from sightseeing to commuting. The cause of this accident is clear to anyone who's ever flown a single-engine plane: the pilot was flying low and slow, and he stalled without enough altitude for recovery. Pure pilot error.
A successful lawsuit against Cessna will just make increase insurance rates and airplane costs and make it even more expensive for responsible private pilots to keep flying.
Fortunately it looks like the case has little merit.
Are they suing Cessna or the flight school?