Taiwan crash survivor sues airline

The plane broke up into pieces and exploded

A survivor of the Singapore Airlines plane which crashed last week in Taiwan has filed a suit in the Los Angeles federal court blaming the pilot.

The pilot made a turn onto the wrong runway and sealed the fate of those passengers

Attorney Frank Pitre

John Diaz charged that the pilot of the Los Angeles-bound flight acted recklessly when he took off from the wrong runway during a driving rainstorm, Associated Press reported.

The 50-year-old executive with the internet music company MP3.com is the first passenger to sue over the crash, which killed 82 people.

The Boeing 747 was carrying 179 passengers and crew members when it crashed as Typhoon Xangsane hit the island.

Initial findings showed the plane hit construction machinery

It has been confirmed that the pilot was trying to take off from a closed runway under repair. The plane is believed to have crashed into heavy construction equipment before exploding.

Singapore Airlines has accepted full responsibility for the tragedy, the first in its 28-year history, but has sought further investigation into what led the pilots to take the wrong runway.

Jammed escape hatch

Mr Diaz' suit, filed on Tuesday, seeks unspecified general and punitive damages, claming he suffered damage to his lungs and back.

The threat of [legal action]... is having a damaging effect on the flow of information which is essential if lessons are to be learned from accident investigations

Global body of Pilots Associations

He was trapped inside a burning cabin with other passengers when a jammed escape hatch could not be opened.

The passengers escaped only after Mr Diaz threw his body against the door, forcing it open.

"The crash is a tragic example of bad judgement," his attorney Frank M Pitre said.

"The pilot ignored typhoon weather conditions, made a turn onto the wrong runway and sealed the fate of those passengers aboard."

Mr Diaz told the Associated Press he had misgivings about taking the flight because of the stormy weather.

Moving letter

Relatives have visited the scene

In Taiwan, the authorities stressed they have judicial sovereignty over the crash investigation on Wednesday.

Prosecutors have hinted that the three pilots - who survived the crash and are barred from leaving Taiwan - could be jailed for up to five years if convicted of manslaughter.

Their comments follow a statement from the UK-based International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations, which denounced "in the strongest possible terms", what it said was a "growing and extremely disturbing trend" to attribute blame in aircraft accidents.