By Kang Seung-woo
A group of passengers who were aboard an Asiana Airlines flight that crash-landed in San Francisco last summer has filed a personal injury lawsuit against aircraft manufacturer Boeing, accusing the company of negligent plane design and inadequate pilot training, according to media outlets.
More than 80 passengers, many of them Korean or Chinese nationals, are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
“We are asking for damages to be paid to the passengers and asking the court to hold Boeing partially liable,” Monica Kelly, an attorney for Chicago-based Ribbeck Law Chartered, told CNN, Saturday.
The Boeing 777 plane, carrying 291 passengers and 16 crewmembers, crashed on July 6 when its tail hit a seawall at the end of the runway at San Francisco International Airport.
Three Chinese schoolgirls were killed with about 180 other passengers injured in the accident.
According to the suit, filed Friday, Boeing knew or should have known its 777 passenger jet had inadequate auto-throttle control and low airspeed warning systems, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The lawsuit also alleges that Boeing knew or should have known the airline’s pilots were not properly trained in basic landing and safety management protocols, and that the pilots of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 were not qualified to fly on July 6, 2013, according to the Tribune.
“Boeing knew or should have known that the training procedures for Asiana pilots were not up to par, and were putting passengers’ lives at risk,” the lawsuit alleges.
“As a result of the crash, each of the plaintiffs sustained injuries, including but not limited to, bodily injury and resulting pain and suffering, disability, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, medical treatment, loss of income, and medical expenses.”
In the wake of the accident, the airline company announced it will strengthen the simulated training of pilots and increase the number of pilot evaluations, while offering $10,000 in compensation to all passengers.
Asiana Airlines is Korea’s second-largest flag carrier.