Posted on Tue, Feb. 07, 2006
1:05 pm | Lawsuit filed in Hendrick plane crash
A woman whose husband was among 10 people killed in the 2004 Hendrick Motorsports plane crash has filed a lawsuit against the racing company and two pilots' estates.
The lawsuit, filed by Randy Dorton's widow Dianne Dorton, was first reported by WCNC, the Observer's news partner. The suit claims that Hendrick Motorsports and the pilots were negligent in allowing the plane to fly to and try to land in Martinsville, Va., on Oct. 24, 2004.
The plane crashed into Bull Mountain, about seven miles from the airport. All 10 people on board died.
Randy Dorton was head of Hendrick Motorsports' engine program and lived in Lincoln County. Dianne Dorton still lives in the county and filed the lawsuit there in December.
In addition to negligence by Hendrick Motorsports and the pilots, Richard Tracy and Elizabeth Morrison, the lawsuit alleges that the company and pilots engaged in "willful, wanton and/or reckless" conduct related to the Oct. 24 flight.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages of more than $10,000 from the defendants, as well as punitive damages from Hendrick Motorsports.
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/charlotte/news/breaking_news/13813051.htm
[Dollar amount seems off]
More......
Investigation: Hendrick crash linked to crew error
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Associated Press
Posted: 3 hours ago
http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/5313696
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) - Flight crew errors probably caused a 2004 Hendrick Motorsports plane crash that killed 10 people with ties to one of NASCAR's top racing families, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.
The crew improperly read instruments and missed a landing approach to Blue Ridge Airport in Martinsville, Va., the NTSB said in a report synopsis e-mailed to The Associated Press. The Beech King Air 200 crashed into fog-shrouded Bull Mountain in the foothills of the Appalachians on Oct. 24, 2004.
The crash killed the son, brother and two nieces of Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick.
"Contributing to the cause of the accident was the flight crew's failure to use all available navigational aids to confirm and monitor the airplane's position during the approach," NTSB said.
NTSB investigators said that the crew did not follow proper procedure in executing its approach to the airport and their actions following the missed approach.
NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said because the plane did not have cockpit voice recorder, it was "very difficult to tell what all was going on in the aircraft."
Williams said there was no indication of faulty instruments.
The final NTSB report will not be published for another three to four weeks.
Hendrick did not join the flight from Concord, N.C., to a race at Martinsville Speedway because he wasn't feeling well.