SANTA PAULA : Judge Won’t Drop Airport From Suit
The Santa Paula Airport will not be dropped as a defendant in a lawsuit stemming from a 1991 helicopter crash that killed two people, a Ventura County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.
Attorney Peter T. Kirchen of Los Angeles argued that once the helicopter piloted by voice actor Noel Blanc took off, the airport was no longer responsible.
But Judge Frederick A. Jones disagreed, saying there is enough evidence to let a jury decide.
There is “insufficient evidence and authority to conclude there is no airport liability under applicable federal laws,” Jones ruled.
Stunt pilot Lee Manelski and student pilot David Tomlinson were killed Feb. 13, 1991, when a helicopter piloted by Blanc took off into the flight path of the stunt plane.
In the voluminous litigation since the crash, Tomlinson’s parents have sued Blanc, the Santa Paula Airport and the state Department of Transportation. Blanc has filed a cross-complaint against the Tomlinsons, and a jury trial is scheduled for Sept. 13 in Ventura County Superior Court.
Among other things, the Tomlinsons argue that the helipad is too close to the runway. But Kirchen said the state inspects the facility every year and forwards those reports to the federal government.
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