Kodiak Crash Kills Six
Posted by
Jane SchneiderJanuary 06, 2008 10:45 AMNine passengers and an experienced pilot, Robin Starrett, were on board Servant Air's PA-31 Navajo Chieftain when it crashed into icy waters 50 yards from the Kodiak runway. The pilot encountered unknown problems just after the charter flight departed Kodiak for Homer. Another air taxi operator, Dean Andrew, was on the scene immediately and helped rescue 4 of the survivors, one of whom appeared to have serious injuries. Dead are the pilot, age 50, Stefan F. Basargin, 36, Pavel F. Basargin, 30, Zahary F. Martushev, 25, Iosif F. Martushev, 15, and Andrian Reutov, 22.
All passengers worked in the fishing industry and were from Russion Old Believer villages close to Homer. They were returning home for the Monday celebration of Russian Christmas.
The NTSB is investigating the crash, with its related deaths and serious injuries. All of the passengers/families have claims for injury or death. The damages are great. The extent of Servant Air's insurance coverage is not known. Servant Air's coverage may have to pay if it's maintenance of the plane or its pilot's handling of the in flight emergency played a role in the crash. If some part of the plane failed because of a design or manufacturing defect and caused the crash, a products liability claim could be asserted by the passengers/families against the manufacturer. The family of the pilot could also assert products liability claims, along with worker compensation claims, because of the incident.
In any event, gathering the necessary information, interacting with the NTSB, and investigating the different theories of liability will require the skill and resources of an experienced personal injury attorney who knows how to develop and try an aviation crash case. Those involved should hire an attorney at once. Piper and Servant Air's insurance companies are likely to have attorneys already.
For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Mass Transit Accidents.