Jury Awards $16.9M in Alaska Plane Crash That Killed Wenatchee Man

A Washington State jury awarded $16.9 million to the estate of a Wenatchee man who died in a 2019 plane crash in Alaska.

Jury Finds PenAir Primarily Responsible

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The verdict came after a six-week trial and roughly three days of jury deliberation in King County Superior Court. The Jury awarded the money to the estate of 38-year-old David Oltman. His PenAir Flight to Unalaska overran the end of the runway and crashed. Oltman was the only passenger who died due to his injuries.

Maintenance Errors, Tailwind Landing Cited

According to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board, PenAir's maintenance contractors cross-wired the left landing gear's wheel speed sensors during a prior overhaul, which disabled the antiskid braking system.

The NTSB also cited the crew's decision to land tailwind rather than diverting or choosing an alternate runway as a contributing factor.

First Fatal Airline Crash Verdict in Decades

PenAir's defense denied primary responsibility and attempted to shift blame to the aircraft manufacturer and airport authorities. The jury found PenAir 70 percent liable and attributed 30 percent fault to the brake maintenance contractor.

This case is widely reported as the first fatal commercial airline crash trial verdict in more than 25 years in the United States.