Suit in Fatal ’98 Copter Crash Settled

The aircraft manufacturer blamed for the 1998 helicopter crash in Griffith Park that killed three firefighters and a girl being flown to the hospital has settled with the paramedics’ widows for an undisclosed amount.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. initially denied any responsibility in the crash, caused by the failure of a tail rotor yoke, because the Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter was 22 years old. A federal law protects manufacturers from suits if the aircraft is more than 18 years old.

But the widows’ attorneys argued that Bell had failed to report, as required, information to the Federal Aviation Administration that identical tail rotor yokes had failed in five of the company’s military helicopters dating to 1989. Had the FAA known about the problem, they said, steps could have been taken to prevent crashes from yoke failures in the company’s civilian aircraft. A state appellate court allowed the suit to proceed.

“After the first or second one, this never should’ve happened again,” Michael Baum, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said after the case was settled Tuesday, ending a jury trial that began June 12. “There are other firefighters and other police officers out there who are depending on these helicopters to help save people’s lives. That little girl’s life could have been saved.”

The accident happened on March 23, 1998, as rescuers were airlifting a 12-year-old girl injured in a car accident in Sun Valley to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, 10 miles away.

Three of the Fire Department’s rescue team -- Michael Butler, 33, Eric Reiner, 33, and Michael McComb, 48 -- were killed. The girl, Norma Vides, also died. The pilot, Steven L. Robinson, 32, and flight crew member Dennis J. Silgen, 52, were injured.

“There’s a great sense of accomplishment in having presented this case,” said Reiner’s widow, Lisa. “There were safety practices that needed to be done, and I believe that this case brings safety for future families.”

Bell’s attorneys declined to comment.