Files A Lawsuit Against Estate Of Citation Pilot Who Impacted A Hangar On Landing Two Years Ago

The City of Santa Monica is suing the estate of a pilot flying a Cessna Citation which impacted a hangar while landing at KSMO two years ago in an effort to recoup the costs of the emergency services and cleanup at the airport. Four people, including the pilot, were fatally injured in the accident.

The Los Angeles online news site Westside Today reports that the suit filed in Superior Court in Los Angeles is seeking more than $54,000 in costs incurred by the city in relation to the accident. It names the estate of Mark Benjamin, the pilot, as well as CREX-MML LLC, the Citation's owner.

The city alleges that Benjamin was negligent in his landing of the bizjet with three other people on board when it veered off the runway and impacted a hangar.

The city says says the amount is what it spent for removal of airplane debris from the runway, securing the site, and environmental testing to determine if any of the hydrocarbons from the firefighting chemicals had seeped into the ground.

The estate has also been sued by the sons of one of the passengers fatally injured in the accident.

FMI: www.lasuperiorcourt.org