Two members of the RCIPS’s Air Operations Unit filed identical lawsuits against Airbus, the France-based manufacturer of the police helicopter that was damaged when its tail hit the ground in 2019 due to an alleged defect shortly after takeoff at Owen Roberts International Airport.
In the civil suits, RCIPS Captain Nigel Pitt and his passenger, PC Gregory Banks Jr., are seeking damages for “personal injuries, pain, suffering and loss of amenity” which they say resulted from the hard landing.
“The Plaintiff[s] therefore claims against the Defendant in tort as producer of the helicopter,” read the lawsuits. “The Plaintiff alleges that the Defendant was negligent and/or breached the duty of care it owed to the Plaintiff.”
The helicopter in question was manufactured in 1999 and arrived in Cayman in 2010, at which time it was said to have an expected life span of five years.
Between 2013 and 2017 the Cayman Islands government spent a total of $2.1 million on maintenance for the aircraft.
After the helicopter was damaged, it was shipped to the United States for an assessment, where it was deemed to have been damaged beyond repair.
In addition to damage, Pitt, 57, and Banks, 29, are also seeking costs for bringing their lawsuits.
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