Overloaded, Probably Out of CG: C-402 Didn't Have a Chance

Sometimes, it's a good thing there are lawyers. As the August crash of the C-402B that killed 22-year-old singer and movie actress Aaliyah and some of her entourage comes more to light, several "things that were wrong" have come to light.
Ordinarily scared away by bright lights, this time, attorneys have come to the front, and are representing the families of the singer herself, as well as families of two other crash victims.
The plaintiffs are going after everybody in sight, of course, including some whose connection to the accident is more closely related to the depth of their pockets, than to any involvement in the bad decisions that apparently led to the terrible event itself.
Various charges of recklessness and negligence are being hurled against Virgin Records and other video production companies; along with those pockets, additional suits have been slapped on Blackhawk International Airways, the rarely-seen Part 135 charter that ran the flight and hired the pilot, just days before the accident.
Diane and Michael Haughton, Aaliyah's parents, say that the "dangerous and unsafe configuration" of the airplane caused the crash.
Among things that are sure to come up at trial will be evidence that led to the NTSB's findings: "The total weight of the luggage, fuel on board at the time of the accident, plus the weight of the passengers showed that the total gross weight of the airplane was substantially exceeded. Preliminary center of gravity calculations showed that the center of gravity was significantly outside the flight envelope past the aft center of gravity... Preliminary information indicated that the pilot was not approved to act as pilot-in-command in the accident aircraft under 14 CFR Part 135... The complete maintenance history of the airplane is unknown."

FMI: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?ev_id=20010907X01905&ntsbno=MIA01RA225&akey=1