Filed On Behalf Of Five Italian Tourists Killed In The Accident

A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the families of the five Italian tourists killed in a mid-air collision over the Hudson River in August.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Newark. It names Liberty Helicopters and the Meridian Consulting I Corporation Inc., both of Linden, N.J. Also named is the estate of the pilot of the Piper PA-32 Saratoga involved in the collision, as well as the airplanes owner, LCA Partnership of Pennsylvania, according to the Associated Press.

The accident occurred when the helicopter on a sightseeing tour collided with the Piper, which had departed from Teterboro airport. In all, nine people were killed when the two aircraft collided. According to the NTSB preliminary report, the helicopter departed from the 30th Street Heliport at 1152 for what was planned to be a 12-minute tour.  The initial part of the tour was to be flown outside class B airspace, so the pilot was not required to contact air traffic control before or after departure.  The first radar target for the helicopter was detected by Newark radar at about 1152:27, when the helicopter was approximately mid-river west of the heliport and climbing through 400 feet.

According to recorded radar data, the helicopter flew to the west side of the river, and then turned southbound to follow the Hudson.  According to Liberty Helicopters management, this was the expected path for the tour flight. The helicopter continued climbing southbound until 1153:14, when it and the airplane collided at 1,100 feet.
 
The accident precipitated changes in the way airspace is utilized over the Hudson River, and separate altitudes are now assigned for sightseeing traffic and other aircraft transiting the area.

The attorneys for the families of the five Italian tourists say "many parties" are to blame for their deaths, and are seeking damages "in excess" of $75,000 each.

FMI: www.njd.uscourts.gov