Pilots’ next of kin seek to combine their case with that of Copterline in New York Court

Defendants in two cases virtually identical

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The next of kin of the pilots of the Copterline helicopter that plunged into the sea outside the Estonian capital Tallinn in August 2005, killing all 14 on board, have suggested their case in a New York Court against the manufacturer of the destroyed helicopter as well as the manufacturers of certain parts used in the aircraft should be coupled with the lawsuit under which Copterline is seeking massive damages from the same defendants.
      Both legal processes are pending in the same New York Eastern District Court.
      The defendants in the cases are Sikorsky, the manufacturer of the destroyed S-76 helicopter, its spare part subsidiary HSI, and Textron, the manufacturer of the rotor servo, a technical fault in which is said to have caused the accident.
      In the case by Ulla Fredriksson and Marjatta Peurala, the next of kin of the perished pilots, a Californian firm called Plasma Technology is listed as the fourth defendant. The company, which provided the plasma coating covering the two servo pistons of the destroyed aircraft, is not mentioned in the Copterline suit.
      The rotor servo was sold to Copterline by HSI. According to Copterline, the pistons' plasma coating came off as large flakes, choking the servo and causing the aircraft to lose its steerability. This resulted in deaths of 14 people.
     
In their original statement the pilots' next of kin sought massive damages also from Copterline, because the emergency floats of the helicopter failed to deploy upon the aircraft's crashing into water. In the latest list of complaints, however, the pilots' widows have withdrawn this claim.
      Instead, they now suggest the combining of the preparation processes of the two cases prior to the actual court hearing, because the arguments of the cases are identical, as are the defendants, save Plasma Technology.
      The defendants, in turn, have demanded that the lawsuit by Copterline be dismissed, and that the actual case be handled in a court in Connecticut, the home state of Sikorsky and HSI, or even in Finland.
      In its latest response Copterline vehemently opposes both requests.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Pilots´ next of kin no longer seek damages from Copterline (4.5.2007)
  COMMENTARY: When money comes before aviation safety (6.3.2007)

Links:
  10 August 2005 helicopter crash near Tallinn (Wikipedia)

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