Couple sues air tour firm
over crash on Big Isle
An Ohio couple who were badly burned after their sightseeing plane crashed and caught fire near Milolii on the Big Island has sued the company and pilot for negligence.
Included as defendants in the suit were Above It All Inc., doing business as Island Hoppers, an air tour company and flight school that operate out of the Kona and Hilo airports, and pilot Jelica Matic.
The single-engine Piper Warrior crashed in a lava field on April 18 with Catherine and Dallas Ratcliff and the pilot aboard.
According to the suit, the couple was stranded at the crash site for about five hours and 15 minutes because the plane's emergency beacon failed to work and because the pilot allegedly gave 911 operators an inaccurate location of the crash site.
They allege the crash would never have happened had the defendants properly maintained the plane and the emergency locator equipment and followed proper federal air regulations.
The Ratcliffs apparently had expressed concern before takeoff about the pilot appearing rather young and considered canceling their flight. They allege that the defendants misrepresented Matic's experience and employment history with Island Hoppers to discourage them from canceling.
Matic, 31, had been working as a pilot in Hawaii for only 11 days before the crash. She had previously worked as a flight instructor at the Angel Air Flight Training Center in Chandler, Ariz.
Island Hoppers president Phil Auldridge declined comment on the suit.