Widow's Testimony Wraps Up AAL 1420 Case | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

 Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-11.24.25

AirborneNextGen-
11.18.25

Airborne-Unlimited-11.19.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-11.20.25

AirborneUnlimited-11.21.25

LIVE MOSAIC Town Hall (Archived): www.airborne-live.net

Thu, May 26, 2005

Widow's Testimony Wraps Up AAL 1420 Case

NTSB Concluded Pilot Error -- But She Blames Airport

If she's accomplished nothing else, the widow of an American Airlines pilot said on the stand in Little Rock Tuesday her testimony in a lawsuit over her husband's death has helped bring the family a sense of closure.

"I really appreciate being able to tell you. That's really all I can do for him, my way of saying goodbye. I never got to see him," Susan Buschmann told a federal jury.

She was the last to testify before her attorneys wrapped up their case in the death of Captain Richard Buschmann, whose MD-82 landed in what's been described as the worst thunderstorm Little Rock had seen in 30 years. As ANN has reported, it happened in June, 1999. The aircraft slid off the end of the runway, into a culvert and burned. Buschmann was one of eleven people killed in the mishap.

The suit contends Little Rock National Airport officials reneged on their promise to build a safety area at the end of Runway 4R. The NTSB, however, blamed pilot error in Buschmann's decision to land AAL 1420 in the heavy storm.

A safety expert, David Thomas, testified for the defense, saying Runway 4R at LIT met all safety standards. He, too, blamed pilot error for the accident.

FMI: NTSB Finding

Advertisement

More News

Airborne 11.24.25: ANN's 30th!, Starship’s V3 Booster Boom, Earhart Records

Also: 1st-Ever Space Crime Was a Fraud, IAE Buys Diamonds, Kennon Bows Out, Perseverance Rover An interesting moment came about this past Sunday as ANN CEO, Jim Campbell, noted tha>[...]

ANN FAQ: Submit a News Story!

Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: DeltaHawk Aero Engine Defies Convention

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Deviation from the Historical Mean Racine, Wisconsin-based DeltaHawk is a privately-held manufacturer of reciprocating engines for aircraft and hybrid >[...]

NTSB Final Report: Glasair GlaStar

Smoke Began Entering The Cockpit During The Landing Flare, And Then The Pilot Noticed Flames On The Right Side Of The Airplane Analysis: The pilot reported that about 30 minutes in>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (11.22.25): Remote Communications Outlet (RCO)

Remote Communications Outlet (RCO) An unmanned communications facility remotely controlled by air traffic personnel. RCOs serve FSSs. Remote Transmitter/Receivers (RTR) serve termi>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Change Display

Headlines Only | Headlines w/ Teasers | View Everything

Advertisement

Top Videos

Airborne 10.03.25: Phantom 3500 Buy, ‘Chinese Military Company’, NOTAM Redesign

Airborne Affordable Flyers 10.02.25: MOSAIC Start Date, AFE25 Tickets, ePulitzer

Airborne 10.01.25: New Gulfstream G300, Affordable Flying Expo Tkts, Starship 11

See All

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC