Terms Not Disclosed; Two Suits Still Pending In Crash That Killed 10

One lawsuit against Hendrick Motorsports stemming from an October 24, 2004 plane crash that killed 10 people -- including the son, brother and two nieces of team owner Rick Hendrick -- was settled this past week. The wife of team general manager Jeff Turner reached a settlement against the race team in her wrongful death suit.

Terms of the settlement were not revealed. Linda Turner's suit against regional air traffic controllers is still pending.

As reported by ANN, the Hendrick Motorsports Beech King Air 200 was transporting eight passengers and two flight crewmembers when it impacted fog-shrouded Bull Mountain in the foothills of the Appalachians, following a missed approach to the non-towered Martinsville/Blue Ridge Airport (MTV) in Virginia.

The flight departed IFR from Concord (NC) Regional Airport. Radar data showed after the plane was cleared for the localizer to runway 30 at MTV, but the aircraft failed to descend at the proper point.

About seven miles past the airport, the airplane initiated a straight-ahead climb. Controllers lost radar contact with the King Air a short time after.

The NTSB determined the missed approach should have occurred over the Martinsville Airport by executing a climbing right turn. In its Probable Cause report, the Board also noted the flight crew's failure to properly execute the published instrument approach procedure, including the published missed approach procedure, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

The wife of Hendrick Motorsports engine builder Randy Dorton has also sued the race team, along with the family of Scott Lathram. Lathram was travelling traveled to the speedway to visit racer Tony Stewart, before reporting for duty in the Middle East.

Rick Hendrick -- who did not join the flight from Concord, NC to the race at Martinsville Speedway because he wasn't feeling well -- owns several NASCAR stock cars, as well as one of the largest automotive chains in the US.

Privately-owned Hendrick Motorsports was founded in 1984 and employs 460 workers at its North Carolina compound.

FMI: Read The NTSB Probable Cause Report, www.hendrickmotorsports.com