Airline forced to pay for dropping blue ice on boat Vessel owner wins $3,236 By JONDI GUMZ SENTINEL STAFF WRITER June 15, 2003: SANTA CRUZ — When two chunks of airplane toilet waste, euphemistically known as "blue ice," smashed through the skylight of Ray Erickson’s boat this winter, he wanted somebody to pay for repairs.
So he tracked down a probable culprit, American Airlines Flight 1950, and sued in small claims court.
He got the court decision in the mail Friday. A judge ruled that Erickson had proved his case and ordered the airline to pay him $3,236 — almost the full amount he had requested.
Mike Fergus, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, was surprised to hear of the decision Saturday.
"I’ll be darned," said Fergus, who hadn’t heard of a successful suit of this nature before.
So he tracked down a probable culprit, American Airlines Flight 1950, and sued in small claims court.
He got the court decision in the mail Friday. A judge ruled that Erickson had proved his case and ordered the airline to pay him $3,236 — almost the full amount he had requested.
Mike Fergus, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, was surprised to hear of the decision Saturday.
"I’ll be darned," said Fergus, who hadn’t heard of a successful suit of this nature before.
Comments