‘Loving husband and father': Victim's family seeking $250M after deadly DC plane crash
***Related video above: Local lawyer uncovers warning signs before deadly D.C. crash***
CHICAGO (WJW) — The family of a Connecticut man who was killed in a midair Washington, D.C. plane crash last month is seeking $250 million, attorneys announced on Tuesday.
Clifford Law Offices, the Chicago-based aviation law firm representing Casey Crafton's family, filed pre-case claims against the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Army, according to a news release.
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Crafton, 40, was among the 67 people killed on Jan. 29, when an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair, exploding into a fireball and crashing into the Potomac River near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Attorneys said Crafton was returning from a business trip in Wichita, Kansas, at the time. He is survived by a wife of 16 years and their three young sons.
'Casey was an incredible human being. He was a giver. He was a loving husband and father. He enjoyed coaching his boys on their youth soccer and little league baseball teams,' said law firm founder Robert Clifford in the release. 'They will be grieving him for the rest of their lives that will never be the same.'
The law firm filed a government-issued 'Form 95,' which is needed to present claims against the U.S. under the Federal Tort Claims Act, 'for property damage, personal injury or wrongful death allegedly caused by a federal employee's negligence or wrongful act occurring within the scope of the employee's federal employment,' the release states.
The law firm referenced the National Transportation Safety Board's report that air traffic control staffing was 'not normal' during the collision, as well as reports of 'communication lapses' between traffic control and the aircraft.
A notice was sent to the FAA on Tuesday, while the pre-case Form 95 claim was filed against the U.S. Army at offices in Fort Meade, Maryland, attorneys said.
The government agencies have six months to respond to the claims, 'and if rejected or not acted upon within that time, plaintiffs have the right in the next two years to file lawsuits in federal district court that would be heard by a judge,' the release states.
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'This crash involves complex matters, and the family deserves answers as to what happened to their loved one,' Clifford continued.
As reported by Fox News Digital, the FAA said it doesn't comment on pending litigation.
FOX 8 News has reached out to the U.S. Army for a statement.
The legal action comes after the Trump Administration started firing hundreds of FAA employees.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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