Relatives of those killed in Alaska Airlines crash reach settlements

Airline Industry Information, July 4, 2003

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Families and relatives of all but one of the 88 victims killed in an Alaska Airlines crash in 2000 have settled lawsuits.

On 31 January 2000 an Alaska Airlines aircraft departed from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to San Francisco and Seattle when it crashed off the coast of southern California, killing all 88 people on board. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) blamed the crash on poor maintenance of the aircraft which resulted in the failure of the aircraft's jackscrew.

Last month, aircraft manufacturer Boeing and Alaska Airlines conceded liability for the crash of the MD-83 aircraft.

The financial terms of the settlements are sealed, however one of the lead attorneys said that the settlements were "anywhere from a couple million dollars up to USD20m."

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