2022 Caravan Crash Spurs Wrongful Death Lawsuit

A wrongful death and product liability lawsuit has been filed against Textron Aviation, Raisbeck Engineering, and others resulting from the November 18, 2022 crash of a Cessna 208B Caravan EX in Snohomish, Washington.

At the time, the turboprop single operated by Raisbeck was being used to conduct flight testing for the company’s aerodynamic drag reduction system (DRS). Raisbeck has an STC for the system on the Caravan and it was testing to determine its applicability for the Caravan EX. That day’s mission included baseline testing of the airplane’s aft CG stall characteristics.

While the NTSB has not yet issued its final determination of the cause of the accident, the agency’s preliminary report stated “several witnesses reported seeing a white plume of smoke when they observed the airplane break into pieces” while in flight.

Among the four killed in the crash were the two pilots and the test program director, along with Raisbeck engineer Nathan Precup, whose widow filed the lawsuit in King County Superior Court.

“Companies that manufacture and maintain aircraft that fly over our communities must ensure the aircraft can withstand normal flight operations,” said attorney Ari Friedman. “When that failure costs lives, those companies must take responsibility for the devastation they cause.”

AIN reached out to Textron and Raisbeck, neither of which provided comment on the pending litigation.