PROMINENT U.S. AVIATION LITIGATION FIRMS FILES SUIT AGAINST WEST CARIBBEAN AIRWAYS, CONTINENTAL AIRLINES, BOEING CO. AND OTHERS IN CONNECTION WITH AUGUST 2005 CRASH
Firm is Representing Victim of August 2005 Crash in Venezuela
MT. PLEASANT, S.C., (December 12, 2005) –
One of the largest aviation litigation firms in the U.S., Motley Rice LLC, together with Miami's renoun aviation lawyer, Edward Montoya of Montoya Law Firm, P.A. , Fla., today announced that they have filed suit against Colombian-based West Caribbean Airways, US-based Boeing Company, and several engine parts manufacturers on behalf of the family of Gustavo Perez, a victim of the crash of West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, which took place on August 16, 2005 in mountainous region in northwest Venezuela.
The plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, was en route from Panama City, Panama to Fort de France, Martinique at the time of the crash. According Venezuelan air traffic control, the pilots reported trouble with with both engines.
After a 7,000 feet per minute dive with both engines in flames, the plane crashed into a field in the western state of Zulia, Venezuela. All 160 crew and passengers were killed. The death toll of the crash makes it one of the deadliest of 2005, worldwide.
West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 is the 11th crash of an MD-80 since the aircraft was brought into service in 1980. It is the deadliest air disaster in the history of Venezuela. West Caribbean Airways had recently purchased the aircraft from Continental Airlines who had originally acquired the aircraft in 1986 and operated it until it was transferred to West Caribbean Airways. Just weeks prior to the accident, the jet's tail cone fell off and was replaced.
"These aircrafts are old and should be replaced." said Edward Montoya, shareholder of the Coral Gables based Montoya Law Firm, P.A. “It is absurd that an aircraft so old and ill-suited to fly was still in the air,” stated Motley Rice attorney and former U.S. Inspector General for the Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., Mary Schiavo. “By the time it was transferred to West Caribbean, the plane had accumulated more than 48,000 hours, making it an accident waiting to happen.
With this litigation, we intend to not only hold the appropriate parties responsible, but also to ensure that airlines and manufacturers worldwide institute stricter safety regulations on their planes and parts.” This case was filed in Circuit Court in Dade County, Florida and included the following defendants: West Caribbean Airways, The Boeing Company, Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies Corporation, Honeywell International, General Electric Co., Wilmington Trust Corp., Continental Airlines, MK Aviation, Financial Telecom Ltd., and several individuals.
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