DC plane crash victim's family files claims against FAA, Army

The family of a passenger on board the airliner in the deadly midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29 took steps Tuesday to initiate a $250 million negligence lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Army.

Last month, American Airlines flight 532 en route to Washington, D.C., from Wichita, Kan., crashed into an Army Black Hawk helicopter on a training flight, causing the two aircraft to plunge into the frigid Potomac River.

The accident killed 67 people, including all passengers and crew on the commercial airplane and three service members on the military helicopter. Among those on the airplane was Casey Crafton, an aviation specialist whose family took preliminary legal action Tuesday.

His relatives hired Clifford Law Offices, a Chicago-based law firm, to file a Form 95, which is used to initiate a lawsuit against the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

The government now has six months to respond to the claims before the family can file a lawsuit.

In recorded remarks posted Tuesday, attorney Bob Clifford alleged potential "willful neglect" by the agencies overseeing the environment around National Airport along with the U.S. military.

“Given the nature of what we know about this crash, there is absolutely no reason to not get that clock running, because, as a matter of fact, it's a very useful thing to get running, given the timeline that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has promised the families regarding the issuance of a preliminary report of their investigation,” Clifford said.

He said the law firm also sent evidence preservation letters to the airlines involved — American Airlines and American Eagle, PSA and "possibly" Sikorsky Aircraft.

The FAA has declined to comment on "potential litigating matters." The Army did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment.

Crafton studied aviation management in college at Bob Jones University and was returning from Wichita on a business trip working as a technical support manager at Guardian Jet, an aviation consulting firm.

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