´Guesstimation´ could be a killer - Curt lewis

Widow claims aircraft upgrades played a role in husband's death

The wreckage of a de Havilland Otter that crashed Sept. 15, 2015, near Iliamna. Three people died, including a man whose widow is now suing Rainbow King Lodge and companies that played a role in modifying the airplane.

ANCHORAGE (KTUU) The widow of a Pennsylvania dentist has sued Rainbow King Lodge and the provider of popular aircraft modifications, claiming they are responsible for killing her husband in a 2015 plane crash.

The wrongful death suit targets the Iliamna fishing lodge that operated a pre-dawn flight that killed three people. It also names three aviation companies that played a role in modifying the deHavilland Otter that crashed on takeoff. Survivors claim the upgrades "changed the center of gravity, making the center of gravity too far aft and contributing to or causing a stall and or loss of control."

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that a pilot working for the lodge had failed to weigh the cargo on board before leaving in the early morning darkness with nine passengers.

The plane was carrying too much weight and stalled, investigators concluded. "When asked how he calculated the weight and balance for the accident airplane before departure, the pilot said he 'guesstimated' it."