Ladd Sanger Obtains $5 Million Settlement in Fatal Aircraft Crash: Published in Dallas Morning News, Texas Lawbook, Aviation Pros and More

Attorney Ladd Sanger obtained a $5 million settlement on behalf of the families of pilot Dane Sheahen and passenger James Kos, who were killed when their plane crashed in March 2016. According to crash investigators, the crankshaft in the Superior Air Parts XP-400 failed during the flight due to metal fatigue. The settlement has been featured in Dallas Morning News, Texas Lawbook and Aviation Pros, among others.

“The engine only had 20 flight hours on it,” Sanger told Dallas Morning News. “An examination showed that there weren’t any defects in the metal for the crankshaft and therefore the design was at fault. It’s a broader problem on all of those engines.”

Sanger noted that, “Superior Air Parts failed to adequately test the engine design before releasing it to the market. Once in the field, Superior knew these engines were suffering premature failures yet the company was slow to react until this tragic crash occurred.”

After the crash, the company issued mandatory buybacks of all XP-400 and XP-382 engines. The settlement will be paid by the companies’ insurers.

Read the Texas Lawbook article here. (Subscription required)

Read the Dallas Morning News article here.

Read the Aviation Pros article here.