Kreindler Attorneys File Lawsuit in Tragic Cessna 560 Citation XLS Business Jet Crash in Farmington, Connecticut
March 31, 2023
Updates
MARCH 31, 2023
Kreindler attorneys Andrew J. Maloney III, Justin T. Green and Evan Katin-Borland recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of the victims’ family. Punitive damages are sought against Textron under the Connecticut Products Liability Act.
The lawsuit alleges “Textron Aviation was aware of numerous prior incidents involving Cessna Citation aircraft in which left seat pilots had left the parking brake engaged and yet took no steps to change either the design of the parking brake system or any warnings or instructions relating to the parking brake in Cessna Citation aircraft.”
What Happened
Two pilots and two passengers were killed as a result of the September 2, 2021 crash of a Cessna 560 Citation XLS business jet into a manufacturing building in Farmington, Connecticut. In addition to the four deaths, one person on the ground sustained serious injuries and three others sustained minor injuries. The passengers, both physicians, were a young married couple who left behind a one-year-old son. According to FAA records, the Cessna XLS was registered as N560AR and owned and operated by Brook Haven Properties LLC out of Camden, Delaware. The fixed-wing jet was powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW545 SER turbo-fan engines.
Identified tire marks in the runway suggest an issue involving the brakes that will surely be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Learn more about Kreindler’s Leading Aviation Accident Law Practice.
In the Media
Preliminary Investigation
The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found “the parking brake handle in the cockpit, and the respective valve that it controlled, were both found in the brake set position…and the airplane’s takeoff configuration warning system did not incorporate parking brake valve position as part of its activation logic.”
The NTSB released a May 4, 2022 report, Require Safeguards to Prevent Cessna 560XL Takeoff with Parking Brake Engaged, urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take action on their safety recommendations. The NTSB “identified transportation safety issues during one ongoing investigation and one previous investigation involving Cessna 560XL airplanes in which parking brake pressure was not fully released before attempted takeoffs, which prevented the airplanes from rotating for takeoff. Once the airplanes reached this point in the takeoff sequence, they were beyond the point at which they could be stopped safely, leading to fatal or serious injuries.
The NTSB final report is still in progress.
Kreindler Experience with Cessna Crashes
Kreindler lawyers have handled many cases involving Cessna aircraft. Included among our previous Cessna cases is the tragic crash of a Cessna Citation II 550 business jet in which an emergency medical transplant team including two surgeons, two perfusionists, and two pilots were killed while transporting organs and en route to a patient awaiting a lung transplant at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.
Kreindler also filed suit on behalf of a New York family following the tragic crash of a Cessna R182 in New Fairfield, Connecticut which killed the pilot and his wife. The airplane lost all engine power and was determined to require an emergency landing before it crashed. The investigation revealed critical defects to the engine that the defendants had been aware of.
Kreindler prevailed against Cessna in a bird strike case following a Cessna 172S fatal crash in Texas.
Kreindler was successful in another Cessna case in which a pilot instructor crashed into a wooded area after experiencing a total loss of engine power.
About Kreindler & Kreindler
Kreindler is the preeminent aviation accident law firm in the world. Our attorneys have been appointed leading counsel in nearly every major commercial airline disaster case in the U.S. and abroad. Since 1950, we have fought diligently to achieve a record of success in resolving aviation crash cases on behalf of our clients. Kreindler attorneys are prepared to advise and represent aviation accident victims on a national basis.
Photo Credit: Cessna 560 Citation XLS business jet, Pete Webber