Story ID: 
Cessna Wins Caravan Crash Lawsuit
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: A jury decided in favor of Cessna in a lawsuit arising from the Oct.
Word Count: 150
A jury decided in favor of Cessna in a lawsuit arising from the Oct. 10, 2001, crash of a PenAir Caravan near Dillingham, Alaska. The plaintiffs, survivors of the 10 people killed in the crash, claimed the Caravan has design defects that make it dangerous to fly in icing conditions, but the jury found “no defects” contributed to the accident. “We wish to extend our heartfelt sympathy to those who lost family or friends in this accident,” Cessna said. “The Caravan is well designed and safe when flown within the parameters of the Pilot’s Operating Handbook.” The NTSB said the accident was caused by “an in-flight loss of control” resulting from ice contamination on the wing’s upper surface that the pilot failed to detect during his preflight inspection. An AD issued in March calling for more stringent preflight inspections during icing conditions followed a study of several icing-elated accidents of Caravans.