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Ag Plane Crash Leads to $6.7 Million Wrongful Death Verdict

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When Steve Allen, a highly respected Northern California ag pilot with 26,000 accident free hours, crashed his Rockwell S-2R into a whisper-thin, barely visible galvanized steel wind observation tower on January 11, 2011, a dark and sickening secret about personal greed and avarice was exposed for all the world to see. The $6.7 million wrongful death settlement the aviator's family was awarded this month will hopefully help ensure other similar tragedies won't happen in the future. (www.flyingmag.com) 기타...

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oowmmr
oowmmr 3
Because they didn't want to install a light. Some budget cuts go too far. I'm glad the Allens won.
preacher1
Well, #1, when you set a rule such as a tower being lighted at 200' +, some will always find a way around it. #2, hard as it may sound, a good ag pilot always surveys his application area. Don't know what happened here but there are many of these around the country. I got to agree with Wallace 24, the rules and the court verdict are at odds. Looks like there should be some liability on part of the landowner, cause in most cases, there was a lease involved on the land. I sort of feel an appeal coming on.
WALLACE24
You can probably bank on an appeal more than 6 mil in the bank.
preacher1
probably so. The other thing I just noticed in the article is that while many have been put up, there doesn't seem to be any rush to take one down. Depending on distance, after they have served their usefulness at a location and provided the needed information, I would think they could be taken down and put up at another location rather than just leaving them and erecting a new one somewhere.
WALLACE24
if I understand the story right, the tower was legal. If so, the rules and the court verdict are at odds. Condolences to Mr Allens family.
TorstenHoff
Just because the tower complied with the regulations doesn't mean that the people who owned and erected it bear no responsibility for this incident.

This wasn't a criminal trial, the rules and burden of proof are quite different.
preacher1
Well, if it was civil, it's kinda no holds barred and it's just whatever the jury thinks.
WALLACE24
Yes, I get it. You don't go to jail, just pay money. I've been on that end of the stick myself.
blueashflyer
Most days I leave the house on a mission of "personal greed and avarice"...just the kind of guy I am.
jimquinndallas
I think that it may be legal to erect such towers, however the insurance company probably should have insisted that it be painted and lighted. How many government regs are propagated because of insurance liability concerns? Often, regulations are passed not because something has happened, but rather because the liability to insurance companies is enough that they push for legislation to address a problem before it exists. What happened here? I would have thought that their insurance carrier would have taken every opportunity to make sure that they exercised due diligence to lessen their financial exposure should an accident like this occur.
preacher1
Apparently it didn't. There may exist the possibility that since it was just a prospecting type fixture that there may not have been any type coverage on it. I guess it would depend on how an insurance carrier was structured with an LLC or whatever group the ownership was in. From the liability standpoint, it looks like it would have been taken down or at least laid down, but if it met the normal rules and legal requirements for air travel, which it did, they just may not have worried about it.
WALLACE24
You can bet the insurance company's liability is already lessened. One death won't pay 6.7 I doubt.
SWalters
Hmm...it would be interesting to know exactly how many accidents there have been in say, the last 10 years? Is this happening frequently or is this accident uncommon? New regs might be in order.

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