Newberg family sues after plane demolishes home
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Nearly two years after a small plane crashed into a home in Newberg, the family filed a lawsuit against the flight school that operated the training flight that killed two people and demolished the home.
A number of people began calling 911 around 7 p.m. on October 3, 2023, after they saw the Piper Seminole four-seater “spiraling toward the ground and crashing,” Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue said at that time. When firefighters arrived, they found the plane had crashed through the roof of a home near North Cedar Street and ended up in the home and in the backyard.
The crash happened when student pilot Barrett Bevacqua couldn't control a practice maneuver and the plane became inverted, according to the Ferris family attorney Mark Lindquist. The instructor pilot, Michele Cavalotti, took over but couldn't regain control as the plane spiraled and nose-dived into the house.
Bevacqua, 20, and Cavalotti, 22, died at the scene. A third person in the plane, 20-year-old Emily Hurd, was critically injured but survived.
When the plane hit the house, two of the four Ferris children were inside, Lindquist said. The dad ran into the house and helped get both his young daughters, who were shaken up and stunned, out safely.
In a release announcing the lawsuit, Lindquist said the bedrooms, kitchen and roof were blown up. "Insulation, aviation fuel, smoke and shredded pieces of the house filled the air."
"Of all the things a family might prepare for, a plane crashing into your roof is not one of them," Lindquist told KOIN 6 News.
The Ferris family accuses those named in the lawsuit -- Hillsboro Aero Academy, LLC, Ascend Pilot Academy (a joint venture between Alaska Airlines, Horizon Airlines, and Hillsboro Aero Academy) -- of negligence and trespassing.
The family said the constant moves since the crash -- they've moved 6 times, forcing school changes for their kids -- has caused serious emotional and financial hardship. They want an undisclosed amount for the trauma they say should never have happened.
"We hope that we can sort out a result that will hold the flight school accountable and be fair compensation for the family," Lindquist said.
Lindquist represents the family, with help from Chicago attorney Austin Bartlett and Oregon attorney Jacob Derman.
"I have seen a lot of crashes, this is the first time that I have seen a residential house just devastated by a small private plane," he said.
Lindquist has made a mark with other high-profile aviation lawsuits. He represented families in the Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes and the Boeing Max 9 door plug blowout over Oregon.
KOIN 6 News reached out to the flight school and Ascend Pilot Academy for comment. At this time they have not responded.