Kreindler Files Suit Against Textron-Lycoming in Fatal Crash Case Involving Air Traffic Controller and Wife

Kreindler & Kreindler filed a lawsuit against several defendants related to the fatal crash of a Cessna R182 aircraft in New Fairfield, Connecticut. The crash claimed the lives of Alfred Zadow, a senior air traffic controller from New York, and his wife, Donna Zadow. The defendants named in the suit include Textron, Inc., AVCO Corporation and Lycoming Engines.

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The aircraft was being piloted by Mr. Zadow from Malone, New York, to Islip, New York, when Mr. Zadow radioed fellow controllers that his aircraft’s engine, a Lycoming O-540, was having severe oil pressure problems and that he needed to land.

Mr. Zadow began emergency procedures for a landing at the airport in Danbury, Connecticut, when the aircraft lost all engine power and crashed in the woods of New Fairfield, Connecticut. A post-crash investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed a hole at the top of the engine’s crankcase and a fractured engine connecting rod.

According to the complaint, the defendants had actual knowledge of critical defects related to the Lycoming O-540 engine, including improperly designed and faulty manufactured crankshafts, connecting rods and oil pumps. The complaint further alleges that defendants knew that such defects existed and could result in total engine power loss and in-flight engine failure.

Photo Credit: Cessna R182 plane, Tomás Del Coro