The family of a pilot killed two years ago in a midair collision over Kearns has dropped its suit against SkyWest Airlines after receiving an undisclosed amount of money from the carrier.
SkyWest attorney Wayne Wadsworth said the money was paid only to avoid the cost of further litigation and did not imply any wrongdoing on the part of SkyWest's pilots in the collision.Michelle Baker and her son Robert are still pursuing the major thrust of their suit, which is against the Federal Aviation Administration.
"We were satisfied with the settlement to the extent of SkyWest's involvement," said Robert R. Wallace, Michelle Baker's attorney. "The main role we feel was played by the air traffic controllers who saw the two planes coming together on their screen and failed to give any warnings."
Ten people were killed shortly before 1 p.m. on Jan. 15, 1987, when a single-engine Mooney aircraft piloted by Chester Baker collided in midair with a SkyWest aircraft carrying eight people. The Mooney had finished a series of touch-and-go landings at Airport No. 2 in Kearns, and SkyWest Flight 1834 from Pocatello was descending to land at the Salt Lake International Airport when the collision occurred. Baker, who had a pilot's license for visual flight, was learning to fly with instruments the day of the crash, said Wallace.
Four suits have been filed over the crash and are currently in discovery, the process of sharing and gathering of information. While the suits have all been filed against the FAA, SkyWest was also named a defendant in two of them. Last month the carrier settled the other suit, brought by the widow of Baker's passenger, in the same fashion as this one.
Michelle Baker's suit against the FAA contends the agency had an obligation to warn the planes they were too close to each other but failed to do so. The discovery process is scheduled to be wrapped up near the end of the year.