Cda Man’s Family Sues Pilot In Fatal Crash Plane Slammed Into Grassy Area At Sea-Tac Airport In 1996
Relatives of a Coeur d’Alene man killed in a plane crash nearly two years ago at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have filed a wrongful death complaint against the pilot.
The suit, filed last week in Idaho 1st District Court by Theodore Harris Jr.’s parents and daughter, claims that Gregory R. Rainey should have asked permission to land at Sea-Tac when he became disoriented instead of trying to reach Boeing Field in Seattle.
Rainey, also of Coeur d’Alene, was critically injured but survived the crash. He spent several weeks in a Seattle area hospital recovering from head injuries, broken legs and burns.
“We don’t wish any bad things on Mr. Rainey, but at the same time, we’ve got to bring this to a conclusion some way,” said Ken Peterson, a Billings, Mont., attorney representing the Harris family.
Calls to Rainey’s home were not returned. He told reporters two weeks after the crash that he did not remember anything about the accident.
The two friends were on their way to Seattle to watch a football game in the Kingdome when Rainey’s plane crashed on Aug. 23, 1996. The twin-engine Beechcraft Bonanza clipped a utility pole, cartwheeled and slammed into a grassy area near a parking garage at Sea-Tac.
Witnesses said the plane narrowly missed a seven-story hotel and an 11-story Sea-Tac office tower.
The plane had left Coeur d’Alene on what was planned to be a flight to Boeing Field, a few miles north of Sea-Tac. However, Rainey became lost north of Seattle, according to the wrongful death complaint filed by the Harris family.
“He was given directions by the Seattle air traffic controllers but became disoriented,” the suit claims.
Rainey reported to air traffic controllers that he had lost an engine shortly before crashing.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined probable cause of the crash to be “failure of the pilot to follow proper emergency procedures after losing power in one engine,” according to an agency report. Rainey’s lack of experience in the plane, lack of recent flying experience and unfamiliarity with the area also contributed, the NTSB said.
The flight was only Rainey’s second in the plane. His first was a local flight before leaving Coeur d’Alene on the day of the crash, the NTSB said.
Harris’ parents, Thomas and Delores, who filed the suit on behalf of his grade-school-age daughter, Megan, allege that Rainey’s failure to familiarize himself with the plane and his inattentiveness constitute negligence. The family is seeking unspecified damages.
“He should have known his aircraft a little better,” attorney Peterson said. “He should have known the area. He should have filed a flight plan.”
, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: PLANE CRASH The twin-engine Beechcraft Bonanza clipped a utility pole, cartwheeled and slammed into a grassy area near a multistory parking garage at Sea-Tac.