Family of DCA plane crash victim files $250M claim against US Army, FAA
DCA plane crash: Victim's family files $250M claim
The family of Casey Crafton, a victim of the Potomac aviation crash, has filed a $250 million claim against the U.S. Army and FAA, alleging negligence. FOX 5's Shirin Rajaee has the story.
WASHINGTON - The family of a victim in last month's fatal midair crash over the Potomac River has filed a $250 million claim against the U.S. Army and the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging negligence and failures that contributed to the tragedy.
DCA plane crash lawsuit
The backstory:
The Jan. 29 crash killed 67 people, including three U.S. Army soldiers, when a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
READ MORE: DC plane crash pilot's grieving father calls out government on air regulations
The claim, filed on behalf of 40-year-old Casey Crafton, argues that the helicopter pilots failed to hear or respond appropriately to air traffic controllers’ directions to avoid the aircraft.
It also questions why the airplane did not react to traffic collision alerts and raises concerns about staffing levels at the air traffic control tower.
What they're saying:
"Something went wrong here," said Tracy Brammeier, a partner at Clifton Law Firm, which represents Crafton’s family. "There are probably a lot of entities who knew about potential problems but didn’t act to prevent them. The purpose is to get answers for the family."
What caused the DC plane crash? Blackhawk helicopter may not have heard key transmission, NTSB says
A miscommunication and bad data may have contributed to last month’s deadly crash near Reagan National Airport.
Crafton, a father of three young boys, was traveling for work when the crash occurred.
His case is among the first legal actions filed in the wake of the tragedy, and experts say it could take years to resolve – leading to a prolonged court battle.
The legal battle also highlights broader concerns about congestion at DCA and how military helicopters are allowed to operate in the airport’s airspace.
All 67 DC plane crash victims positively identified
All 67 victims who died in the midair collision near Reagan National Airport has been positively identified, Unified Command confirmed Wednesday. The completion of the identification process comes one week after an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter. Sixty passengers and four crew members were aboard the airplane, while three military members were aboard the jet.
The Source: The information for this story comes from FOX 5 reporting.