The lawsuit alleges Island Express was only allowed to fly under visual flight rules, and the conditions the day of the crash were not conducive for such flying. As we reported, the fog was extremely low and the pilot was in blinding conditions before the mishap.
The lawsuit claims the pilot failed to properly monitor and assess the weather prior to takeoff, failed to obtain proper weather data prior to the flight, failed to abort the flight when he knew of the cloudy condition, failed to maintain control of the helicopter and failed to avoid "natural obstacles" in the flight path.
The lawsuit also claims the helicopter was not safe, although it doesn't say what was unsafe. It could be the basis for the claim is that the helicopter was not certified to fly in bad weather.
The lawsuit does not list an amount of damages sought, but Vanessa is asking for punitive damages, claiming the pilot and Island Express were reckless, and the damages could be untold millions.