Jury Finds Vacuum Pump Manufacturer Negligent

A jury found Parker Hannifin negligent in the Oct. 16, 2000 crash of a Cessna 335 that killed Gov. Mel Carnahan and his son, and awarded their family $4 million. The family argued that vacuum pumps made by Parker Hannifin failed, causing the recip twin to crash. The verdict is curious in light of the fact that the manufacturer’s lawyer told jurors that the NTSB blamed the accident on a failed attitude indicator and found that the pumps were most likely working at the time of the crash. Nevertheless, the manufacturer does not plan to appeal.