Wei Chen
A woman who maintains that she’s the first Asian person of her gender to fly a single-engine plane around the world and was wrongfully denied a promised award by a man who later died in a plane crash is thinking about pursuing her legal case against his estate, her lawyers told a judge Tuesday.
Zheng (Julie) Wang sued Wei Chen in March 2018, alleging he reneged on a 2014 promise of a six-figure award to the initial Chinese female to accomplish the task.
Chen was on board a small plane headed to Memphis when it crashed in a northwest Atlanta park, killing him and everyone else on board on December 20th. A well-known Memphis businessman, he founded Sunshine Enterprises, which focuses on the wholesale distribution of Chinese construction and industrial equipment, in 1998.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dennis Landin said Tuesday morning that he will defer ruling on a defense request for dismissal of Wang’s lawsuit on grounds it should have been brought in China. He previously issued a final decision denying the motion on November 7th, but left open the possibility that he could grant Chen’s motion if the defendant agreed to take specific legal steps. His attorneys state in their court papers that he complied before his death.
Landin said he wants to know if any of the members of Chen’s estate have contacts in California. He scheduled another case management conference for April 23rd.
Wang is seeking triple and punitive damages, including the $163,000 prize money, on allegations of fraud, negligent misrepresentation and breach of contract. The promoter that helped prepare her financially for the flight, China General Aviation LLC, also is named as a plaintiff.
Chen, 47, had a net worth of more than $30 million, according to the plaintiff’s court papers.
Attorney Samantha Gavin, of behalf of Chen, previously argued that the money at issue is in a Chinese bank and that none of the witnesses are from this state.
Plaintiff’s attorney Keith Wesley countered that both Chen and Wang are Americans. He said Chen wanted to move the case in order to make it so difficult for Wang to move forward with her case that she may have to consider dropping it.
According to Wang’s complaint, Chen announced in September 2014 at the International Aircraft Owner and Pilot Association in Beijing that he was willing to pay the prize — which amounts to a million Chinese yuan — to the “first Chinese woman to complete an around-the-world flight.”
Wang, then 43, embarked on her flight from Addison Airport near Dallas on August 17th, 2016, and successfully returned from the global trip at the same airport on September 19th, 2016, according to her lawsuit.
Wang says she became not only the first Asian woman to accomplish such a task, but also the first person of Chinese descent to do so by herself and the eighth woman of any ethnicity to fly around the world solo.
Original article can be found here ➤ https://mynewsla.com
The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Atlanta, Georgia
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
https://registry.faa.gov/N188CW
Location: Atlanta, GA
Accident Number: ERA19FA071
Date & Time: 12/20/2018, 1210 EST
Registration: N188CW
Aircraft: CESSNA 560
Injuries: 4 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On December 20, 2018, about 1210 eastern standard time, a Cessna C560, N188CW, was destroyed when it impacted a field after takeoff from Fulton County Airport-Brown Field (FTY), Atlanta, Georgia. The air transport pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was owned and operated by Chen Aircrafts LLC. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 and had an intended destination of Millington-Memphis Airport (NQA), Millington, Tennessee.
A review of preliminary radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that after departing from runway 8 at FTY, the airplane turned left toward the north climbing to about 3,225 ft msl (2,385 ft agl), then made a descending right 180-degree right turn to the south before radar contact was lost at an altitude of about 1,175 feet msl (335 ft agl).
A video obtained from a security camera positioned on top of a building, located about a half mile from the accident site, captured the airplane in a descending left turn prior to rolling inverted until it was lost from view behind a tree line.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held an air transport pilot certificate with a rating for airplane multiengine land and a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and single-engine sea. The pilot was issued a second-class medical certificate on May 31, 2018 and reported 2,300 hours of total flight experience and 150 hours of flight experience in the previous 6 months.
According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1991, and was most-recently registered to a corporation in July 2017. It was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney Canada, JT15D series engines, which could each produce 3,050 pounds of thrust.
The 1216 recorded weather observation at FTY, which was about 1 mile to the southwest of the accident location, included wind from 050° at 10 knots, visibility 7 miles, overcast clouds at 600 ft above ground level (agl), temperature 8° C, dew point 8° C, and an altimeter setting of 29.52 inches of mercury.
The airplane impacted a tree prior to impacting the field about 50 feet beyond the initial tree strike. All major components of the airplane were located in the vicinity of the wreckage. The debris path was about 325 ft long and was located on a 142° heading.
The airplane was highly fragmented and dispersed along the debris path. The main wing spar was separated from the airframe and came to rest about 200 ft from the initial ground impact point. The empennage was impact-separated and located about 275 ft from the initial impact crater. Both engines were impact-separated from the airplane. The cockpit, cabin, and wings were highly fragmented.
A cockpit voice recorder and an enhanced ground proximity warning system were located along the debris path and retained for data download.
The airplane was moved to a secure facility and retained for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Registration: N188CW
Model/Series: 560 No Series
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: Chen Aircrafts Llc
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: FTY, 840 ft msl
Observation Time: 1716 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 8°C / 8°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 10 knots / , 50°
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 600 ft agl
Visibility: 7 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.52 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Atlanta, GA (FTY)
Destination: Millington, TN (NQA)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 3 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 4 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 33.790556, -84.495000
