First lawsuit filed after January’s DCA passenger jet and helicopter midair collision

WASHINGTON — Casey Crafton was one of 60 passengers who were killed when an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter near Washington, D.C. in January.

On Wednesday, his wife Rachel Crafton became the first family member to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

“Casey was a devoted father and husband, and we built a beautiful life together,” Rachel Crafton said in prepared remarks. “Our lives were shattered in a moment, and the grief has been unimaginable.”

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, names American Airlines and PSA Airlines, the regional carrier that operated the flight, as defendants, along with the federal government. It’s the first of what are expected to be dozens of similar suits.

A total of 67 people, including the crew of the helicopter and the regional jet, died in the collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, making it the deadliest air traffic disaster in the U.S. in decades. On Jan. 29., the jet had been cleared to land when the Army helicopter, which was on a nighttime training mission, struck the plane at an altitude of 278 feet. Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River.

Federal investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board held a three-day hearing on the collision in August. So far, that investigation has revealed problems with the altimeters in the Army helicopter, which gave incorrect altitude readouts to the Black Hawk pilots. There were also serious concerns about numerous near misses at the airport that predated the crash.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs argue that American Airlines should be held liable, as well.

“The crash of American Eagle 5342 was predictable, it was preventable, and caused the needless loss of 67 lives on that fateful evening,” said Robert Clifford, a lawyer representing the Crafton family, at a press conference in Washington.

Clifford argues that the airline did not adequately train its crew on how to safely navigate congestion around DCA, and that its efforts to maximize the number of flights in and out of the airport amount to “corporate negligence.”

American Airlines immediately pushed back.

“American has a strong track record of putting the safety of our customers and team members above everything else,” the company said in a statement. “We continue to support the ongoing NTSB investigation and will defend American and PSA Airlines against any legal action claiming the airline caused or contributed to this accident.”

Several dozen family members of other crash victims also attended the press conference to show their support for the Crafton family.

“Many of us have been asked whether we dread the idea of rehashing the worst days of our lives in court,” said Doug Lane, whose wife Christine Conrad Lane and son Spencer Seojin Lane died in the collision. “We are here to see this process through, however long it takes, to ensure that our family members have a lasting legacy that makes the world safer for everyone who flies.”