We Knew It Was Going To Happen...

(Editor's Note 12.23.05: Attorneys for the City of Chicago have disputed Baltimore television station WJZ-TV's assertion that defense attorneys involved in the case below have asserted the city may have improperly cleared the runways of snow and ice, or even closed 31C completely.)

Even as NTSB investigators say they still have no definitive idea what caused a Southwest Airlines 737 to skid off the runway at Chicago's Midway airport two weeks ago today, now comes word two passengers, Mariko L.A. Bennett and Stanley L. Penn, are suing the airline for negligence.

The two Maryland men -- the flight in question had departed from BWI -- are suing Southwest over injuries they said they received during the accident, adding they were forced to wait on an airport shuttle for medical attention after the accident.

The plantiffs' attorney states the pilot should have known it was not safe to land on the snow-slicked runway.

According to WJZ-TV, the two are also going after the airplane's manufacturer, Boeing -- which they say is also liable in the case, as the 737-700's braking system may have been defective. Preliminary reports on the accident have questioned the effectiveness of the airliner's thrust reversers.

The city of Chicago hasn't escaped litigation, either. Defense lawyers acknowledged the city may have improperly cleared the runway of snow and ice, and that possibly 31-C should have been closed outright, according to the Baltimore television station.

Representatives from Southwest and Boeing declined comment on the matter, saying they are awaiting the NTSB's final determination in the tragic mishap. As was reported in Aero-News, a six-year-old boy riding in a car was killed when the airliner skidded off the runway and onto an adjoining street.

FMI: www.southwest.com