james ozzie:
"flarepilot, I find it interesting that in the US pilots are never sued and the claim always goes against the company"
Fundamental principle - you sue who has the ability to pay. Only sue the pilots if they carry professional indemnity insurance, which I assume none do. And by carrying insurance, you tend to attract claims...
I can't speak to other countries, but in the U.S. the pilots are protected from civil litigation because they are agents acting for the principal.