Boeing sued over 2008 plane crash that killed 154
Boeing Co. and its McDonnell Douglas unit were sued for allegedly using defective equipment in the Spanair SA airliner that crashed last year in Madrid, killing 154 people.
At least seven lawsuits were filed yesterday in federal court in Tampa, Fla., accusing the companies, Honeywell International Inc. and other plane-parts makers of negligence tied to the Aug. 20, 2008, crash.
Investigators said in an Aug. 17 report that the Boeing MD-82 took off in Madrid without activating wing flaps to give the plane lift. No alarm sounded to alert pilots that the plane wasn't ready for a safe takeoff, CIAIAC, Spain's aviation safety commission, said in the interim report.
Tom Brabant and Todd Blecher, spokesmen for Chicago-based Boeing, couldn't be reached immediately for comment.
Families and representatives of the victims seek unspecified damages in the suits. They also asked for jury trials.
Boeing rose 60 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $44.12 at 11:36 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.
One case is Mani v. McDonnell Douglas Corp., The Boeing Co., 09CV01647, U.S. Middle District of Florida (Tampa).