GE Culpable in 2008 Sikorsky Crash, Jury Says

Bethany Whitfield

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 10:27 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A jury ordered General Electric to pay $70 million in damages for its role in the August 2008 crash of a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter.
The verdict resulted from a lawsuit alleging GE's negligence due to an unaddressed design flaw in the engine's fuel control valve, which plaintiffs claimed GE knew about.
The jury found GE 57% responsible for the accident, which killed nine people and injured the surviving pilot.
GE disputes the verdict, stating it contradicts NTSB findings (which attributed the crash to excessive weight and other factors) and plans to appeal the decision.

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A jury on Tuesday ordered General Electric to pay $70 million in damages for its role in the August 2008 crash of a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter.

The verdict came after the surviving pilot and the family of the co-pilot killed in the crash filed a $177 million lawsuit against General Electric for negligence associated with an alleged design flaw in the CT58-140 engines used in the S-61N.