We Settle Georgia Airplane Crash Case for Victim’s Estate

Our lawyers, Mike Andrews and Cole Portis, along with lawyers from Mason Carter, have settled a lawsuit for the family of Lauren Harrington against the Estate of Jonathan Rosen, who was piloting a plane that crashed upon taking off at the Dekalb-Peachtree Airport near Atlanta in October 2021.

Ms. Harrington, 42, was one of four aircraft crash victims aboard the Cessna P210N airplane. The accident also killed Mr. Rosen and two children aboard the plane. There were no survivors.

“When we investigated the flight profile, the type of equipment and the weight on board, we knew immediately there was a problem,” said Mike Andrews, an airplane injury lawyer. “Proper weight and balance are critical in aviation and often mean the difference between life and death.”

Federal investigators reported that the plane’s fuel was the maximum amount when it left DeKalb-Peachtree for Houston, Texas. The plane became airborne about 1,000 feet down the runway and reached an altitude of about 75 feet when it rolled to the left and crashed nose-first to the ground. The aircraft burned entirely upon impact because of an explosion and fire fed by its fuel load.

The lawsuit asserted that Mr. Rosen was inadequately trained to operate the recently modified plane. Mr. Rosen upgraded the aircraft with a Rolls Royce turbine engine and an additional fuel tank to meet the new engine’s need for extra fuel.

“Because the aircraft had been extensively modified, it was important to understand its limits and capacities,” said Mike. “We worked closely with aviation experts and builders to learn the ‘as modified’ limits, and from that, we were confident that the crash could have been avoided by following simple rules of weight and balance.”

The lawsuit alleged that Mr. Rosen had less than two flight hours’ experience with the modified plane and had participated in just one day of a five-day flight training course with the aircraft. The suit further alleged that Mr. Rosen negligently and improperly calculated the plane’s center of gravity, resulting in a weight distribution exceeding the aircraft’s operating limits and causing instability.

While we cannot ever give the family what they truly want – their daughter – we are hopeful that resolving this case helps by providing our clients answers to the questions they have struggled with regarding the crash. We are grateful to have been able to work for such a deserving family and are thankful for their trust in our work.

Mike Andrews, Beasley Allen Lawyer