Victims’ Families Sue Airline Over October Crash in Taiwan

The families of at least seven people killed when a Singapore Airlines flight burst into flames as it began to leave Taiwan for Los Angeles filed suit against the company in U.S. District court Friday.

On Oct. 31, Flight 006 was beginning take-off from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in rain and the 57-mph gusts of an approaching typhoon. The pilot veered onto a runway that was under construction, crashing into concrete barriers and a crane.

Of the 82 passengers who died, 23 were Americans.

“The pressure on the pilots to stay on time, along with inadequate warning, lighting and safety measures on the runway proved to be a lethal combination,” attorney Brian Panish said at a press conference outside the Los Angeles courthouse.

In 1999, Panish won a $4.9-billion lawsuit (later reduced to $1.2 billion) against General Motors Corp. because of a design fault in the 1979 Chevy Malibu.

Singapore Airlines announced in November that it would offer the victim’s families $400,000 each, plus $25,000 for immediate needs.

But, Panish said, “None of my clients have received any offers.”

James Boyd, a spokesman for the airline, said the “company stands behind those offers.”

Members of two of the families who joined Panish at a press conference said it was the airline’s reticence in disclosing facts that prompted the complaint.

“The airline has their lawyers, and Boeing has their lawyers,” said Steven Chuang of Fountain Valley, whose 53-year-old mother died in the crash of the Boeing 747-400. “The only way to get in the loop is to have someone representing us.”

Chuang’s cousin, Sidney Wu, lost both his parents. “We decided to go after the airline because we couldn’t get any information,” Wu said. The suit accuses the airline of negligence and wrongful death, and seeks an unspecified amount.