Families of Victims in Antarctic Jet Crash Allowed to Sue U.S.

Families of passengers killed in the 1979 crash of an Air New Zealand plane in Antarctica can sue the U.S. government for damages, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said laws barring legal action against the United States for acts in foreign countries do not apply to the cold, barren ice shelf surrounding the South Pole.

The suit seeks unspecified damages for alleged negligence by U.S. Navy air traffic controllers at McMurdo Naval Air Station. The appeals court made its ruling at the request of the trial court, which last June denied the government’s request to dismiss the case.

The suit now returns to the U.S. District Court, which will consider its merits.