Cessna Found Liable for $480M in Crash of 185

A Florida jury has found Cessna liable for the 1989 crash of a 185 in Florida and returned a record $480 million verdict against the Wichita-based manufact

By Nigel Moll

November 27, 2007

A Florida jury has found Cessna liable for the 1989 crash of a 185 in Florida and returned a record $480 million verdict against the Wichita-based manufacturer. Nobody died in the accident, but the three occupants of the 1966-model taildragger were injured in the crash and ensuing fire. The award consists of $400 million in punitive damages and $80 million in compensatory damages.

The lawsuit, filed by Philadelphia lawyer Arthur Wolk, contended that pilot James Cassoutt’s seat suddenly slid backward while he was attempting to land at Coastal Airport, a strip near Pensacola, Fla., causing him to lose control of the airplane.
Unfortunately for Cessna, the protections of the 1994 General Aviation Revitalization Act (GARA) do not apply in this case because both the accident (in 1989) and the initiation of litigation (in 1991) preceded passage of the bill. It is ironic, too, that it was Cessna chairman Russ Meyer who led the industry assault on product-liability laws that resulted in passage of GARA.

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