Companies Sued in Death of Soldier

The widow of a Tennessee National Guard soldier killed in Afghanistan in the crash last year of a Boeing AH-64D Apache has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the companies she believes caused her husband’s death. Chief Warrant Officer 3 William Flanigan was killed when his helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. Cassandra Flanigan filed the suit after a U.S. Army investigation found equipment malfunction caused the crash. Flanigan has sued Westwind Technologies Inc., the company responsible for maintenance of the helicopter; Honeywell International Inc., which may have manufactured the helmet used to communicate with the co-pilot and receive visual images; McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Co. and Boeing. McDonnell Douglas manufactured the helicopter. Boeing has since acquired McDonnell Douglas. For related news