LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The National Transportation Safety Board says it will stand by a report blaming pilot error for a 1999 plane crash and likely will ignore a jury's decision to fault the airport.
Jurors on Thursday awarded the widow of Capt. Richard Buschmann more than $2.1 million after her lawyers argued that conditions at the airport - not Buschmann's mistakes during an attempt to land in a severe thunderstorm - were the main cause of his death. Ten others also were killed.
The NTSB said its conclusions were reached by aviation experts, as opposed to 11 random people from varied backgrounds. "This is a separate process with ... different competencies involved,'' NTSB spokesman Paul Schlamm said. He said no one had asked the NTSB to reconsider its report.
Susan Buschmann, of Naperville, Ill., sued the airport and its governing board, saying her husband likely would have survived the crash if the airport fully met Federal Aviation Administration safety guidelines. The airport's defense echoed NTSB statements that Buschmann made mistakes as his flight descended into Little Rock while lightning cracked around the plane.
American Airlines Flight 1420 sped off a runway near the Arkansas River on June 1, 1999. The plane, still traveling about 90 mph, hit a structure supporting approach lights, broke apart and caught fire. Witnesses said the light tower was 453 feet past the north end of the runway - shy of the government's 1,000-foot standard. After the accident, the airport reconfigured the safety area to remove obstructions.
Susan Buschmann has said she believes the federal court jury's decision exonerated her husband. The airport, whose insurance company will cover the award, said it has not yet decided whether it will appeal.