ST Engineering’s US subsidiary named in lawsuit over UPS plane crash

[SINGAPORE] ST Engineering’s United States subsidiary, VT San Antonio Aerospace (VT SAA), was one of several companies named in a wrongful death lawsuit on Dec 3.

The lawsuit, filed in a Kentucky court on Dec 3, alleged that the maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) company was negligent when maintaining the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F aircraft prior to the fatal UPS plane crash in November.

Shortly after taking off on Nov 4, the UPS cargo plane hit a storage yard and two additional buildings, including a petroleum recycling facility, noted the preliminary investigations by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The crash killed 14 and injured 23, NTSB noted.

The lawsuit, which was filed by the family of one of the victims, also alleged negligence against shipping giant UPS and its airline subsidiary UPS Air, Boeing and General Electric.

According to court documents seen by The Business Times, the lawsuit noted that VT SAA performed maintenance on the aircraft from Sep 3 to Oct 18.

The lawsuit alleged that VT SAA “owed a duty to exercise reasonable care in the maintenance, inspection and repair of aircraft”.

It further alleged that the negligence of VT SAA contributed to the left engine of the cargo plane detaching from the aircraft’s left wing.

VT SAA began operations in 2002, providing MRO services for cargo operators and commercial airlines. It is part of ST Engineering North America (formerly VT Systems).

NTSB noted that at the time of the accident, the plane had accumulated approximately 92,992 total flight hours and 21,043 cycles.

Federal Aviation Administration records show the aircraft was 34 years old.

The preliminary investigation found that the aircraft’s left engine and pylon separated shortly after rotation.

Responding to BT queries, an ST Engineering spokesperson said that the company will not comment on pending litigation or legal proceedings, and that it will fully cooperate with the investigating authority, NTSB, and other authorities.

“We remain deeply saddened by the unfortunate accident of the UPS aircraft, and our thoughts continue to be with those who have been impacted, especially the bereaved families,” added the spokesperson.