Asiana Settles Lawsuits Over Crash at San Francisco Airport

Asiana Airlines Inc. settled 72 personal injury claims in lawsuits filed over a July 2013 crash landing at San Francisco International Airport and is continuing to negotiate with other passengers.

The airline announced the settlement Tuesday in a federal court filing in Oakland, California, without describing terms of the agreements. Three people died after an Asiana flight carrying 291 passengers struck a seawall as pilots attempted to land. The impact tore off part of the tail and sent the jet skidding down the runway before it came to rest and caught fire.

Frank Silane, a lawyer for Asiana, told the court at a hearing last year that the airline was “ready to step up and settle these cases across the board.” He said Asiana won’t seek caps on damages by claiming no negligence. In the crash, 255 passengers and crew members suffered either no injuries or minor ones, while 49 suffered major injuries, Asiana said in court filings, citing the National Transportation Safety Board.

Silane didn’t respond after regular business hours to phone and e-mail messages seeking comment on the settlements.

The case is In Re Air Crash at San Francisco, California, on July 6, 2013, MDL 2497, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (Oakland).