Lycoming Appeal Denied in Crankshaft Case

The Texas Supreme Court has denied Lycoming's appeal in a six-year legal contest over crankshaft failures. Lycoming appealed a 2005 ruling against Interstate Southwest, a Texas-based subcontractor that had supplied crankshafts for Lycoming engines. Some of the crankshafts failed, causing accidents and some deaths, but the court ruled that Interstate Southwest had manufactured the parts according to Lycoming's design; and it was the design that was responsible for the failures. A press release issued by Interstate Southwest's attorney indicates that Lycoming was ordered to pay $96 million in 2005, but that amount was later reduced to attorneys' fees only. Lycoming's counterclaim of $186 million was also eliminated.