Settlement Planned in Flight Computer Dispute Over '95 Columbia Crash

By Catherine Wilson

The Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) - American Airlines and the makers of a flight computer jointly blamed for a 1995 crash into a Colombian mountainside have agreed to settle a dispute over the amounts of money they owe the families of victims.

Computer maker Honeywell Air Transport Systems and aviation software maker Jeppesen Sanderson had been pushing for a new jury trial to decide how much their 25 percent share totaled, claiming American overpaid in earlier settlements.

But the three warring companies notified the trial judge Tuesday that they will agree on a confidential plan for splitting more than $300 million already paid by the airline and its insurers.

"I made them assure me many times that the case is settled," U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro-Benages said at a hearing Friday. The companies promised to have an agreement in two months, but she said she doesn't want it to take that long.

A judge blamed the crew in 1997 and ruled American had full responsibility to pay claims by relatives of

159 people killed when a Boeing 757 flying on automatic pilot turned into a mountain instead of flying straight into the airport in Cali, Colombia.

But the airline won a reversal on appeal, and a jury decided in June that American was 75 percent liable, Jeppesen was 17 percent at fault and Honeywell was 8 percent to blame.

Since then, Englewood, Colo.-based Jeppesen and Phoenix-based Honeywell fought to limit their multimillion-dollar exposure, charging the airline's "extreme misconduct" in the early stages of the case led to "unreasonably high settlements."

But the companies have set aside their differences and will work out a plan for dividing the damages.

Claims by all but three families have been resolved, and one with a $1 million offer on the table may settle within a week, attorneys told the judge.

Colombian crash investigators blamed the crew, which punched in one letter for a landing beacon that turned them to a different airport instead of the correct four-letter code for Cali.

American lawyers argued the software company was aware that some beacons could only be accessed by typing in a full name, rather than a single letter, and Honeywell didn't require Jeppesen to change the software.

The flight from Miami was carrying mostly Colombians home for Christmas when it crashed Dec. 20, 1995. Four people survived.

The flight crew descended below mountaintop level without knowing where they were. The cockpit recorder captured remarks about being on course followed by expletives. With alarms sounding and only seconds left, the pilots pushed the controls to climb, but it was too late.

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-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), September 15, 2000