Woman files lawsuit against SWFL company for husband’s plane crash

Reporter: Breana Ross
Published: Updated:

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a Southwest Florida company for its work on a plane that crashed and killed three people and a dog.

The crash happened two years ago on Friday in Springfield, Illinois.

A Ring doorbell video captured the seconds before the plane hit the ground and after with a cloud of smoke billowing into the air.

The widow of one of the passengers blames Mullen’s Aviation in LaBelle, the company that worked on the plane three times before the crash, including the day before it went down.

Keith West repairs planes for a living.

“There’s a lot of care that goes into ensuring that airplanes are airworthy,” said Keith West, CEO of RexAir & Flight Maintenance Center.

But, the lawsuit claims the owner James Mullen was negligent and did not properly repair and inspect the plane or make sure it was in airworthy condition.

There is no official word whether that is true.

The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet determined the cause of the crash.

Mullen survived a plane crash in May of 2021. That crash was also captured on a Ring doorbell camera.

Mullen told investigators he and the pilot flew the plane after Mullen repaired the plane at his shop. The pilot died.

As for the Illinois crash, West said the allegations are usually hard to prove.

“Airplanes are generally safe and reliable,” West said. “The bigger problem almost always has been a pilot judgment and pilot error as opposed to maintenance issues.”

Mullen said he sent the complaint to his insurance company. He declined to comment to WINK News.

WINK News reached out to the woman who filed the lawsuit and her attorney.

The anniversary of her husband’s death is a difficult day for her so she declined to comment.

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