The U.S. government has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit seeking damages of over $5.7 million following a collision between a civilian skydiving plane and a parked Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey. The incident occurred on May 30, 2020, at Brown Field Municipal Airport in San Diego, California. The collision resulted in significant damage to the Osprey, prompting the government to hold multiple parties accountable for the repair and transportation costs.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants named include the pilot of the skydiving plane, Christopher Sanders, Tac Air Ops LLC, Kapowsin Air Sports LTD, the City of San Diego, Brown Field Municipal Airport, and several unidentified individuals. Allegations state that the city and the airport mismanaged the facility by failing to maintain sufficient parking for the Marine aircraft during a three-day training period, which led to the Osprey being parked in an unsafe location.
On the morning of May 30, the pilot of the Twin Otter skydiving plane, owned by Kapowsin and operated by Tac Air Ops/Skydive San Diego, initiated the engines, causing the aircraft to roll towards the Osprey. Despite the pilot’s attempts to halt the plane’s movement, it collided with the Osprey, resulting in extensive damage to the Osprey’s left wing, engine, and propeller blade.
No injuries were reported from the incident, as nearby witnesses swiftly helped extinguish the fire sparked by the collision. However, the U.S. government asserts that the skydiving plane was not in proper working condition at the time of the incident, with the pilot allegedly reporting unresponsive brakes and steering to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The lawsuit argues that the city and the airport were negligent in their management of the parking situation, creating overcrowding and poor oversight of aircraft parking areas. As a result, the U.S. government claims it was deprived of its rights to use and enjoy the airport, directly leading to the damages incurred by the Osprey.
Representatives from the San Diego City Attorney’s Office and Kapowsin Air Sports declined to comment, while Tac Air Ops/Skydive San Diego did not respond to requests for comment at the time of writing.
The U.S. government seeks damages totaling at least $5,745,117.83 to cover the costs of repairing and transporting the MV-22 Osprey.
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