The family of Len Root, who was one of six people killed last year when two World War II-era planes collided mid-air in front of a packed Texas crowd, is suing the organizers of the Wings Over Dallas Air Show.
“Mrs. Root saw it happen, and she didn’t do well,” Kevin Koudelka, who represents the family, told FOX 4 Dallas-Ft. Worth.
“We need a lawsuit to find out what happened and who is responsible for it. The second part is who is responsible? What happen? Who is at fault? And why does this happen? And hold them accountable.”
Root, 66, was aboard a B-17 bomber with four other crew members when it collided with a P-63 fighter last November, killing everyone on board.
Root is a retired American Airlines pilot who got his pilot’s license when he was 16.
The organizers of the air show, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), are among those named as defendants in the lawsuit, along with the plane’s owner, according to FOX 4.
The lawsuit alleges negligence, particularly on the part of the air boss, whom Koudelka called “the quarterback who called the play for the event.”
A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collide mid-air during an air show at Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, Saturday, Nov. 12. 2022. AP
Root was aboard a B-17 bomber with four other crew members when it collided with a P-63 fighter last November.AP
He added they believed he was hired by CAF.
Koudelka added, “Our investigation so far and the preliminary report from the NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] concluded that planes should not be close to each other.”
Air bosses gave the pilot permission moments before the crash, audio recordings released by the FAA earlier this year revealed, according to FOX 4.
CAF told Fox News Digital in a statement: “We are aware of a lawsuit filed against the Memorial Air Force on August 31 by the family of one of our members who was tragically killed in an accident at the Wings Over Dallas Air Show in November 2022. Our lawyers are looking into the petition and will respond through the appropriate channels.”
Len Root got his pilot’s license at age 16 and worked as a pilot for American Airlines for a decade before he was killed last year. Air Force Commemoration
Debris from two planes that crashed during an air show at Dallas Executive Airport lay on the ground Saturday, Nov. 12. 2022.AP
Along with Root, the others killed were Terry Baker, Curt Rowe, Kevin Michels, Dan Ragan and Craig Hutain.
Several videos posted on social media showed the fighter jets appearing to fly into the bombers, causing them to quickly crash into the ground and release a large ball of fire and smoke.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the NTSB are investigating the cause of the collision, and a final determination of the crash may take several months.
Although the initial report did not provide a cause of the crash, it stated that there was no altitude advisory plan for the pilots before the show.
“It’s a lawsuit to find out who screwed up and hold them accountable because we know Mr. Root, the pilot, didn’t screw up,” Koudelka added.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
