12 victims sue Asiana, Boeing for SFO plane crash

SAN FRANCISCO

The lawsuit is 36 pages and while it does seek monetary compensation for damages the lawyer says the main goal of these families' suit is to make sure this never happens again.

Attorney Frank Pitre of Cotchett, Pitre and McCarthy says the lawsuit his office filed is the most extensive and detailed explanation of what led up to the Asiana crash.

"We've got poor training, resource management, you've got inattention by the pilots and you've got inadequate and ineffective warning systems," said Pitre.

The complaint states Boeing should have updated the 777 with an aural command warning. Like it did to some of its 737s after a Turkish airlines flight crashed under similar circumstances in 2009.

"An aural command is one where words are used, 'low speed' which immediately captures the attention of the pilot that's in control," said Pitre.

The suit also claims Boeing's plane had defects, like a faulty auto throttle control system.

Retired pilot Capt. Dick Deeds says today's technology is useful, but a pilot's first responsibility is the safety of the passengers which means they have to know how to fly the airplane.

"Somebody should have been watching the airplane, they should have been watching the speed, they should have been watching the altitude. That's primary on every approach," said Deeds.

And once the plane crashed Pitre says another factor came into play -- the fact that business and first class passengers had lap belts and shoulder restraints, but economy passengers only had lap belts.

"If it's me and my family that's traveling and I have compromised safety because of the price of my ticket, I think in today's day and age, that's an outrage. Everyone deserves the same level of safety," said Pitre.

He says that discrepancy in safety is something that needs to be corrected immediately.

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