Family of National Airport crash victim sues American Airlines, federal government 

The family of a passenger killed in January’s midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport sued American Airlines and the federal government Wednesday, accusing them of wrongful death and negligence.

It appears to be the first federal lawsuit seeking to recover damages over the incident, the deadliest U.S. plane crash in years.

“The Defendants were required to exercise extreme vigilance when operating and/or controlling aircraft in the vicinity of Reagan National Airport. These Defendants, however, utterly failed in their responsibilities to the travelling public,” the lawsuit states.

An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight on the night of Jan. 29 when it was seconds away from landing at National Airport. None of the 67 people on board the two aircraft survived.

The lawsuit was brought by Rachel Crafton, the widow of Casey Crafton, who was on the passenger flight. Crafton’s family began taking preliminary steps soon after the crash to file the legal action.
The suit seeks payment for funeral expenses, as well as damages for “profound emotional and psychological loss.”

“While the Department of Justice does not typically comment on ongoing litigation, this lawsuit arises out of a local and national tragedy in which 67 people lost their lives right here in the Nation’s capital,” Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said in a statement.

“Our hearts continue to be with the families,” Shumate continued. “The Department will pursue a just resolution of this matter that follows the facts, the law, and provides fair compensation to the victims of this tragedy.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been investigating the incident and plans to release its final report next year. But its preliminary efforts found, among other things, the Army helicopter was flying higher than it should have been.

The family’s 115-page complaint points to those findings and a series of other missteps the family says makes both the government and American Airlines liable for the crash.

The family alleges the government “manipulated and abused the arrival rate system” to enable more landings, and air traffic controllers should’ve alerted the aircraft about their unsafe proximity.

In a statement, American Airlines said its support efforts for the victims’ families that began the night of the crash continues, but it will defend the airline against “any legal action claiming the airline caused or contributed to this accident.”

“Aviation safety requires multiple layers of compliance with detailed procedures, restrictions and operational standards across the full range of pilots and air traffic controllers,” the airline said.

“Together, these layers have made the U.S. aviation industry the safest in the world. As the recent NTSB investigative hearing showed, Flight 5342 was on a routine approach to DCA when the Army helicopter — that was above the published helicopter route altitude — collided with it,” the statement continued.

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