Victim’s family files $250M claims against Army, FAA over DC crash

The spouse of a Connecticut man who died in final month’s collision between a passenger jet and a navy helicopter close to Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Nationwide Airport has filed what are believed to be the primary authorized claims over the crash that killed 67 folks.

The claims by Rachel Crafton have been filed Tuesday in opposition to the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Military, with every searching for $250 million for alleged wrongdoing that led to the collision and dying of Casey Crafton, 40, of Salem, Connecticut, in response to her Chicago-based lawyer, Robert Clifford.

The filings have been made below the Federal Tort Claims Act and are a required precursor to a lawsuit. If the FAA and Military both reject or don’t act on the claims inside six months, a civil wrongful dying lawsuit may be filed in federal courtroom.

“The households are submitting this to realize their purpose of taking step one in direction of what the entire world is aware of can be eventual litigation in opposition to the FAA for its air site visitors management and the U.S. Military relative to the operations of the helicopter,” Clifford mentioned in an interview Wednesday.

Clifford, who mentioned he represents different crash victims’ households, mentioned the claims have been primarily based on public feedback federal officers have made concerning the crash, together with alleged understaffing on the air site visitors management tower, the helicopter pilot flying above the 200-foot restrict close to the airport and communication lapses between air site visitors management and the plane.

Clifford additionally despatched letters to American Airways, Sikorsky Plane and Collins Aerospace demanding that they protect any proof regarding the crash.

In a press release, the Military declined to touch upon the submitting Wednesday.

“Out of respect for the deceased, their households, and the continued investigation, it’s inappropriate for the Military to touch upon any hypothesis relating to claims or potential litigation,” Military spokesperson Maj. Montrell Russell mentioned. “Our main focus is on supporting the households and guaranteeing the protection of our Troopers and the general public.”

The FAA mentioned Wednesday that it doesn’t touch upon potential litigation.

On Jan. 29, American Airways Flight 5342 was coming in from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew members, because it approached Reagan Nationwide to land on a transparent Wednesday night time. On the similar time, an Military Black Hawk, made by Sikorsky, was on a coaching train with three troopers aboard. The 2 plane collided and plunged into the Potomac River, killing everybody on board the jet and helicopter.

It was the deadliest airplane crash within the U.S. since 2001, when a jet slammed right into a New York Metropolis neighborhood simply after takeoff, killing all 260 folks on board and 5 extra on the bottom.

Investigators have mentioned the helicopter might have had inaccurate altitude readings within the moments earlier than the crash, and the crew might not have heard key directions from air site visitors controllers. The collision possible occurred at an altitude just below 300 toes, because the airplane descended towards the helicopter, which was properly above its 200-foot restrict for that location.

Clifford additionally cited an FAA report that mentioned the air site visitors management staffing “was not regular” on the time of the crash. One air site visitors controller was answerable for each coordinating helicopter site visitors and arriving and departing planes, when these duties are sometimes divided between two controllers, the report mentioned. However the airport usually combines these roles at night time when site visitors begins to gradual.

Casey Crafton was a technical assist supervisor for an aviation consulting agency who was coming back from a enterprise journey to Wichita when he died. He and Rachel Crafton had three younger sons, ages 7, 10 and 12, and he coached their youth soccer and baseball groups.

“They are going to be grieving him for the remainder of their lives that may by no means be the identical,” Clifford mentioned. “This crash includes advanced issues, and the household deserves solutions as to what occurred to their liked one.”