Family Sues After Student Pilot Killed in Kentucky Crash

The wrongful death suit claims the cross-country night flight during a thunderstorm was unnecessary and avoidable.

Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 05:31 PM ET

Verified

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary accident report, the aircraft flew through "heavy to extreme precipitation." [Courtesy: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

The parents of Connor Quisenberry, a flight student killed in a September 2023 plane crash, have filed a lawsuit alleging negligence by his instructor and two flight academies (Eagle Flight Academy and ATP Flight Center).
The lawsuit claims the fatal night flight, which occurred in a thunderstorm and killed both Quisenberry and instructor Timothy McKellar Jr., was "unnecessary" and "avoidable."
It is alleged that McKellar, who had previously been discharged from ATP for "unsatisfactory performance," made derogatory social media posts about Quisenberry during the flight, which was heading into severe weather.
The lawsuit seeks funeral expenses and other damages, asserting that the academies knew about McKellar's deficiencies but failed to take adequate action.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The parents of Connor Quisenberry, the flight student killed last September in an airplane crash in Kentucky, have filed a lawsuit alleging the flight was “unnecessary,” and that the crash was “avoidable” and the result of negligence on the part of his flight instructor.

Both Quisenberry and flight instructor Timothy McKellar Jr., 22, were killed when their Piper PA-28-161 was ripped apart in a thunderstorm during a night flight.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.