Carnahan family files lawsuit over fatal crash

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The family of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan sued several airplane companies Thursday for their alleged role in the Oct. 16 crash that killed Carnahan, his son and an aide.

Tony Wyche, a spokeswoman for Carnahan's widow, Jean Carnahan, said the family filed the suit because they believe an instrument malfunction may have contributed to the crash.

Federal safety investigators have said they are looking into whether a potentially faulty dashboard instrument played a role in the crash of the twin-engine Cessna 335.

Carnahan, who was running for the U.S. Senate, was flying to a campaign event in stormy weather when the plane piloted by his oldest son, Roger Carnahan, went down about 25 miles south of St. Louis. Also killed was longtime Carnahan aide Chris Sifford.

Wyche said Sifford's family is not involved in the lawsuit. He declined to say whether the Carnahans were seeking money.

The National Transportation Safety Board has said Roger Carnahan told air traffic controllers during the flight that he was having problems with his plane's artificial horizon, used to help maintain level flight.

Twelve minutes later, the plane dropped from about 7,100 feet to 3,900 feet in nine seconds before disappearing from radar, NTSB officials said.

Investigators also have said they are looking at the plane's vacuum system, the weather and other factors.

Before the crash, the 20-year-old plane had a clean track record, as did Roger Carnahan, an amateur pilot with more than 1,600 hours of flying experience.

The lawsuit will proceed separately from the NTSB probe, which could take a year.