Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP LLP has resolved a lawsuit that was filed on behalf of the family of former Special Operations Army Ranger who was killed in a 2013 helicopter accident while filming a reality television show for the Discovery Channel. The helicopter’s pilot and the camera operator working on the show were also killed in the crash.
During filming at night, lights were turned on in the cockpit for filming purposes, despite the pilot knowing it compromised his visability. The pilot lost visual reference to the ground and collided with the terrain below the ridgeline. The NTSB investigation of the incident concluded that the pilot was in effect willfully “flying blind”, that is, flying in lighting (in the cockpit) and visibility (outside) conditions that made it impossible for him to see well enough to safely perform the maneuvers being asked of him. The pilot also had a record of multiple FAA safety violations.
PSBR helicopter crash attorney Kevin Boyle, who handled the case, states that the terms of the settlement are confidential.
Read the U.S. News & World Report article here.
Read the Los Angeles Times article here.
Read the Complaint filed by Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP here.