The couple involved in an October 2014 plane crash on a practice field at Starr’s Mill High School is suing federal agencies for negligence and asking for damages.
Filed Aug. 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the suit names the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration as defendants.
The suit maintains that pilot S. Blaine McCaleb and passenger Cynthia McCaleb, of Atlanta, were in the plane on Oct. 5, 2014 when it crashed.
The suit is claiming negligence on the part of the air traffic controller and is asking for damages.
The suit did not name the location of the crash, though reports by The Citizen at the time noted that the crash occurred on a practice field at Starr’s Mill High School.
The pilot of the Socata TMB 850 aircraft was in communication with an air traffic controller at all times, the suit said, adding that while in flight the plane experienced a loss of power.
McCaleb notified the FAA air controller of the loss of power and declared an in-flight emergency, according to the suit.
The suit maintains that the air traffic controller misdirected the pilot to an airport 10 miles away and misidentified the airport, which caused further confusion. The airport located approximately 10 miles away was beyond the engine-out gliding distance of the plane.
Though not named in the suit, Falcon Field is located a short distance from Starr’s Mill High School.
The (unnamed) airport located approximately 1.7 miles from the plane’s location was well within the plane’s engine-out gliding distance, the suit said.
“The aircraft crashed short of the airport identified by the air traffic controller to pilot McCaleb as located approximately 10 nautical miles away, causing serious permanent personal injuries and damages to each plaintiff,” according to the suit.
Pertaining to the injuries and the call for damages, the suit said the couple suffered severe personal injuries that have resulted in a loss of the ability to earn an income.
A report by The Citizen at the time of the crash noted that the plane crash-landed onto an unused practice field at Starr’s Mill High School at approximately 1 p.m., roughly two miles from Falcon Field.
Area residents and some of those practicing at other school ballfields responded.
One of those, Brooks resident and adult baseball league coach Greg Woodward, said the plane was seen approaching from the south.
“Everything seemed okay. The engine was running but (the plane) was low. It caught the top of the trees (adjacent to the practice field),” Woodward said, adding that the plane hit the ground and bounced then soon came to a stop.
Woodward and others responded, finding a man and woman inside the plane who were conscious, but bleeding. Citizen responders removed the two from the plane and they were soon transported to area hospitals.
