Flight Students Settle Case Against Flight Instructor After Crash

Amy Rothschild

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Two students filed a lawsuit against their flight instructor as a result of a 2004 plane crash near the Dubuque airport. Just prior to the crash, the pilot had tried to make an emergency landing in order to remove ice that was accumulating on the airplane and to assess the weather conditions. Fortunately, no one was killed as a result of the crash. All three men walked away with minor injuries. They were treated at and then released from the hospital.

The lawsuit claimed that the flight instructuor knowlingly flew in icy condiions. The lawsuit also named Wisconsin Aviation as a defendant. The case settled for an undisclosed amount.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the accident was the flight instructor's inadequate planning. The agency said particularly at fault was the pilot's flight into the known weather conditions in an aircraft not equipped with anti-icing equipment.