The wife of a pilot killed in last November’s UPS Flight 2976 crash near Louisville, Kentucky, has filed a lawsuit against Boeing, General Electric and maintenance provider VT San Antonio Aerospace, alleging their roles in the aircraft’s design, manufacturing and upkeep contributed to the accident. The complaint, filed Feb. 25 in Jefferson County Circuit Court, is the first on behalf of a flight crew member’s surviving family.
The Boeing MD-11F cargo aircraft was departing for Honolulu when its left engine and pylon separated shortly after takeoff, followed by a fire and crash in an industrial area south of the airport.
The accident resulted in the deaths of three crew members, including pilot Dana Justin Diamond, and 12 individuals on the ground. Diamond, a Caldwell, Texas, resident, had worked for UPS for more than 37 years and held the top seniority position on the MD-11, according to the release. The aircraft had been operating in cargo service since 2006 and was powered by General Electric CF6 engines, which had undergone recent maintenance in the weeks leading up to the crash.
The lawsuit alleges wrongful death, negligence, loss of consortium and related damages tied to the engine separation and subsequent crash, and seeks punitive damages and a jury trial.
“When an engine separates from a wing seconds after takeoff, that’s not an accident,” lead attorney Mark Lanier said. “That’s a failure by the companies responsible for building and maintaining that aircraft.”
The case names Boeing Co., General Electric Co. and VT San Antonio Aerospace as defendants.
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