Crash survivor sues American Airlines
 

'04 Crash Survivor Sues Airline

DALLAS (AP) -- A survivor and the families of two of the 13 people killed in a 2004 Missouri plane crash have filed suit against American Airlines, its parent and an affiliated carrier.

A negligence lawsuit was filed in state district court on behalf of passenger Wendy Bonham of Salt Lake City, who suffered serious burns and other injuries, according to a statement from the Slack & Davis law firm.

Bonham was one of two survivors of the fiery accident.

The families of two people killed in the crash joined the lawsuit, said aviation attorney Ladd Sanger of Dallas, who is representing Bonham. They are Terry and Melinda Johnson, parents of Matthew Johnson, of Longview, Texas, and the family of Richard Sarkin, of Buffalo, N.Y.

Matthew Johnson, 25, and Sarkin, 54, were among those killed when Corporate Airlines Flight 5966, bound from St. Louis to Kirksville Regional Airport in October, crashed and burned about a mile short of the runway.

The twin-engine turboprop commuter plane had no apparent mechanical failure or maintenance problems, the National Transportation Safety Board said earlier this year.

The 19-seat Jetstream 32 was operated by Corporate Airlines, based in Smyrna, Tenn. The lawsuit also names American and its parent company, AMR Corp. of Fort Worth.

A message left with American for comment was not immediately returned. A call to Corporate Airlines, now known as RegionsAir, also was not immediately returned.