Plane Was To Pick Up Former Pres. Bush

Relatives of Kristi Dunn, the flight attendant who died onboard a Gulfstream jet that was dispatched to Houston in November 2004 to pick up former President George H. W. Bush, have sued the aircraft's operator over alleged safety errors by the plane's pilots.

The Associated Press reports the lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of Dunn's husband, son and mother in state district court in Dallas, TX. Defendants named in the suit include the charter operator, Business Jet Services Ltd. of Dallas; managing partner Robert J, Wright; and the plane's owner, The Jet Place, Inc. -- which is controlled by Wright.

As was reported by Aero-News, the G-II had been dispatched to Houston from Dallas, to pick up former President Bush for a trip to Central America.

Also named in the lawsuit are the estates of the two pilots who also died in the accident -- and whom lawyers representing Dunn's family allege had inadequate training in operating the Gulfstream II.

The lawsuit claims the pilots -- who, according to Dunn family attorney Jon Kettles, each had over 19,000 flight hours -- also tuned to the wrong navigation frequency. Despite their overall experience, the lawsuit claims chief pilot Milford F. Dickson had only flown the plane one hour in the previous six months, while copilot Michael F. DeSalvo had just flown it for the first time a month before -- and wasn't formally trained in using some of the aircraft's systems.

"These two pilots ignored the most basic rules and procedures — and joked about it," said Kettles to the Associated Press.

Wright is named in the lawsuit because he allegedly arranged the trip to pick up the former president from Houston and fly him to Ecuador for $39,000. The jet came down three miles from the airport, after striking a 153-foot light pole.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov