Costa Mesa : Officers’ Families Sue Over Fatal Copter Crash

The families of two Costa Mesa police helicopter pilots killed in a midair collision have filed lawsuits seeking a total of $17 million in damages against five Orange County governments and the helicopters’ manufacturer, Hughes Aircraft Co. of Los Angeles.

The March 10 crash of two police helicopters pursuing a suspected car thief killed pilot David Ketchum, 39, John W. Libolt, 39, and a passenger, civilian flight instructor Jeffrey Pollard, 27. The two Newport Beach officers in the other copter survived a crash-landing.

Separate Orange County Superior Court lawsuits were filed by Ketchum’s widow, Meg, and her two daughters, and by Libolt’s former wife, Rebecca, and her two children.

Pollard’s widow, Becky, has filed $10 million in administrative claims against Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, considered preliminary to filing a lawsuit.

Both lawsuits allege that Hughes negligently designed and manufactured the helicopters--models 500 D and 300. The suit also alleges that the police departments in Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Newport Beach and the county--which were all involved in the chase--failed to train the officers properly. The pilots’ families did not name Costa Mesa in their suits because the men were covered by workmen’s compensation insurance.

The fugitive, Vincent William Acosta of Anaheim has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder, as well as auto theft and possession of stolen property.

The National Transportation Safety Board has not completed a report on the accident, and no cause has been officially determined.