Wed, May 15, 2002
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."
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