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Lawsuit blames maintenance error in fatal 2018 plane crash

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October 1st, 2020 by Ric Hanson

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) ā€” Relatives of four people people killed in a 2018 plane crash in central Iowa allege in new lawsuits that a maintenance error caused carbon monoxide to enter the plane’s cabin, causing the crash. The lawsuits, announced Thursday, name Ultra Flight LLC, an aviation maintenance facility in Le Mars, and its owner, Tomas Mullally.

File photo of the Nov. 2018 crash

The single-engine Piper took off from the airport in Le Mars on Nov. 9, 2018, and crashed into a cow pasture near Guthrie Center, about 115 miles away. Autopsies determined that all four victims suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning. Killed in that plane crash were 49-year-old Ed Anderson of Le Mars, 36-year-old Patrick Kellen of Le Mars, 15-year-old Samantha Clark of Le Mars, and 28-year-old Tyler Douvia of Merrill. The lawsuits seeks unspecified damages.