Family Sues American Eagle Over Fatal Crash

Relatives of an Orange County man who died in the October, 1994, crash of an American Eagle plane in Indiana sued the carrier Thursday for wrongful death.

The wife and daughters of John F. Ganong of Orange accused the owner and operators of American Eagle commuter Flight 4184 of negligence stemming from the crash, in which more than 60 people died. The plane, en route to Chicago from Indianapolis, went down Oct. 31, 1994, in a muddy field during a storm.

The suit alleges that the death of the 52-year-old sales and marketing manager caused the family mental anguish and emotional distress. His wife of 14 years, Eileen Ganong, and his daughters, Shannon and Meredith, 25 and 12, asked for an unspecified amount in damages.

The carrier was accused by the family in the complaint of allegedly failing to properly train its employees to use and maintain the aircraft, a twin-engine turboprop. The company could not be reached for comment.

Ganong, who worked for an Irvine that distributes graphics equipment, was on his way to a trade show in Chicago.