Return-Path: Sender: "Marvin Kaye" To: lml@lancaironline.net Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 09:47:27 -0500 Message-ID: X-Original-Return-Path: Received: from imo-d22.mx.aol.com ([205.188.144.208] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.3c1) with ESMTP id 742718 for lml@lancaironline.net; Thu, 17 Feb 2005 09:27:35 -0500 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=205.188.144.208; envelope-from=Sky2high@aol.com Received: from Sky2high@aol.com by imo-d22.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v37_r3.8.) id q.147.3fbe4424 (16633) for ; Thu, 17 Feb 2005 09:26:47 -0500 (EST) From: Sky2high@aol.com X-Original-Message-ID: <147.3fbe4424.2f4603a6@aol.com> X-Original-Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 09:26:46 EST Subject: Lycoming's Future? X-Original-To: lml@lancaironline.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="-----------------------------1108650406" X-Mailer: 9.0 Security Edition for Windows sub 5000 -------------------------------1108650406 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Language: en =20 Jury Blames Textron Lycoming for Airplane Engine Failures Orders Company to Pay $96 Million (http://www.aero-news.net/#) A jury in Grimes County, Texas has found =20 Textron Lycoming liable for fraud, and ordered the company to pay approximat= ely =20 $96 million to Navasota, Texas-based Interstate Southwest Ltd. The verdict c= ame =20 Tuesday following seven weeks of trial in State District Judge Jerry Sandel'= s=20 278th Judicial District Court in Anderson, TX.=20 The jury's award includes $9,725,650 in actual damages and another =20 $86,394,763 in punitive damages. In addition, the verdict effectively preclu= des =20 Lycoming from pursuing a $173 million indemnity claim against Interstate, wh= ich it=20 had previously filed in a Pennsylvania court.=20 "This is a total victory for our side," says attorney Marty Rose, who r epresents Interstate Southwest. "Between the verdict and its impact on the =20 indemnity claim -=E2=80=93 we couldn't have hoped for a better result."=20 The case revolves around a number of small airplane engine failures that =20 occurred when the airplanes' crankshafts broke in flight. Between 2000 and 2= 002, =20 there were 24 failures and 12 deaths in Cessnas, Pipers and other airplanes=20 with Lycoming aircraft engines. Interstate Southwest supplied Lycoming with= =20 the crankshaft forgings for those engines.=20 Following the failures, Lycoming launched an investigation aimed at =20 determining the cause. Its conclusion was that Interstate Southwest had ove= rheated=20 the forgings, weakening the steel.=20 (http://www.aero-news.net/#) =20 But attorneys for Interstate, Rose and Hal Walker, found a different cause.=20= =20 Their experts were able to determine that Lycoming's design for the=20 crankshafts, which dates back to smaller, lower horsepower engines built 40= years ago,=20 was inadequate for the larger, higher horsepower engines that failed. =20 They also found that by adding Vanadium to the steel -=E2=80=93 something Ly= coming =20 decided to do just before the failures began -=E2=80=93 the company further=20= limited the=20 amount of stress the crankshafts could withstand. Lycoming had added=20 Vanadium to make the steel harder and reduce the number of machining operat= ions,=20 ultimately saving the company money. =20 Ultimately, jurors agreed with lawyers for Interstate, and found that even =20 Lycoming's investigation of the crankshaft failures was fraudulent.=20 "The jurors found the combination of poor design and Vanadium pushed these =20 crankshafts beyond their limits," says Hal Walker. "That's why these planes=20= =20 crashed, and not, as Lycoming claimed, because Interstate overheated the =20 forgings."=20 FMI: _www.lycoming.textron.com_ (http://www.lycoming.textron.com)=20 =20 -------------------------------1108650406 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Language: en

Jury Blames Textron Lycoming for Airplane Engine Failures

Orders Company to Pay $96 Million

3Dhttp://www.aero-news.net/#=20A jury in Grimes County, Texas has=20= found=20 Textron Lycoming liable for fraud, and ordered the company to pay approximat= ely=20 $96 million to Navasota, Texas-based Interstate Southwest Ltd. The verdict c= ame=20 Tuesday following seven weeks of trial in State District Judge Jerry Sandel'= s=20 278th Judicial District Court in Anderson, TX.

The jury's award includes $9,725,650 in actual damages and another=20 $86,394,763 in punitive damages. In addition, the verdict effectively preclu= des=20 Lycoming from pursuing a $173 million indemnity claim against Interstate, wh= ich=20 it had previously filed in a Pennsylvania court.

"This is a total victory for our side," says attorney Marty Rose, who=20 represents Interstate Southwest. "Between the verdict and its impact on the=20 indemnity claim -=E2=80=93 we couldn't have hoped for a better result."

The case revolves around a number of small airplane engine failures that=20 occurred when the airplanes' crankshafts broke in flight. Between 2000 and 2= 002,=20 there were 24 failures and 12 deaths in Cessnas, Pipers and other airplanes=20= with=20 Lycoming aircraft engines. Interstate Southwest supplied Lycoming with the=20 crankshaft forgings for those engines.

Following the failures, Lycoming launched an investigation aimed at=20 determining the cause. Its conclusion was that Interstate Southwest had=20 overheated the forgings, weakening the steel.

3Dhttp://www.aero-news.net/#=20

But attorneys for Interstate, Rose and Hal Walker, found a different caus= e.=20 Their experts were able to determine that Lycoming's design for the cranksha= fts,=20 which dates back to smaller, lower horsepower engines built 40 years ago, wa= s=20 inadequate for the larger, higher horsepower engines that failed. 

They also found that by adding Vanadium to the steel -=E2=80=93 something= Lycoming=20 decided to do just before the failures began -=E2=80=93 the company further=20= limited the=20 amount of stress the crankshafts could withstand. Lycoming had added Vanadiu= m to=20 make the steel harder and reduce the number of machining operations, ultimat= ely=20 saving the company money. 

Ultimately, jurors agreed with lawyers for Interstate, and found that eve= n=20 Lycoming's investigation of the crankshaft failures was fraudulent.

"The jurors found the combination of poor design and Vanadium pushed thes= e=20 crankshafts beyond their limits," says Hal Walker. "That's why these planes=20 crashed, and not, as Lycoming claimed, because Interstate overheated the=20 forgings."

FMI: www.lycoming.textron.com
 
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