Lewis Katz's children sue estate of pilots, jetmaker in fatal crash
The children of Lewis Katz, the philanthropist and co-owner of Philadelphia Media Network, have filed a wrongful-death suit over the 2014 jet crash that took his life.
The children of Lewis Katz, the philanthropist and co-owner of Philadelphia Media Network, have filed a wrongful-death suit over the 2014 jet crash that took his life.
They anticipate seeking damages of more than $250 million from the jet's maker, the estates of its two pilots, and others, but stated that the precise amount will be determined at trial.
The defendants caused the accident "by their negligence" and "by manufacturing and/or designing a defective product," contends the suit, filed Wednesday in Boston.
Drew Katz and Melissa Silver, co-representatives of their father's estate, say they have suffered the loss of his income as well as his companionship and guidance, and have endured mental anguish over his death.
Katz, 72, and six others died May 31, 2014, when the Gulfstream IV crashed as it was departing Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass., for Atlantic City International Airport.
The jet never became airborne. It roared off the runway and onto the grass before striking an antenna and a fence, coming to rest in a gully, where it burst into flames.
An Inquirer review of National Transportation Safety Board documents found last year that a flawed design in a key fail-safe system allowed the jet to reach a ground speed of 187 mph despite its elevators being immobilized. With its elevators secured by what is called a "gust lock," the jet could not go aloft.
By design, the gust lock should have stopped the plane from reaching takeoff speed. The pilots failed to perform critical preflight safety checks that NTSB officials concluded would have prevented the accident.
Among those named in the suit are Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., maker of the aircraft that was co-owned by Katz; Rockwell Collins Inc., maker of aircraft parts including the gust-lock system; the estates of pilots James P. McDowell, 61, of Georgetown, Del., and Bauke Devries, 45, of Marlton; and the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs the airfield.
The NTSB found the fail-safe system would have played no role if the pilots had made critical preflight checks.
Katz and his friends were in Massachusetts to attend a Saturday fund-raiser at the home of the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. His death came four days after he and H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest had won an auction for ownership of the Inquirer, the Daily News, and Philly.com.
A Gulfstream spokesperson declined to comment. A Rockwell Collins spokesperson could not be reached.
"This was a horrible tragedy for the seven families involved," said Port Authority spokesman Matthew Brelis. "But the NTSB found the probable cause of the accident was numerous pilot errors and problems with the design of the aircraft. . . . The NTSB made it clear the fire response was timely, robust, and had nothing to do with the tragic loss of life."
After making his fortune in business and law, Katz became a major philanthropist, pledging millions to Temple University, Dickinson Law School, and many other concerns.
Since the accident, relatives of those who died have sued Gulfstream and the jet's parts makers, as well as Katz's companies. Katz's family sold his stake in the media firm immediately after his death.
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