Aviation company denies negligence in fatal Wyoming accident

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) - An aviation company disputes a claim it is responsible for the death of a glider passenger in response to a lawsuit filed by the family of a victim in a Wyoming crash.

Teton Aviation was named in a wrongful death case stemming from the 2018 accident in Grand Teton National Park, The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports.

The son of David Ross of Salt Lake City filed the lawsuit June 8 in Teton County District Court against the aviation company, listed in court documents as Teton Avjet LLC.

Ross, 65, was flying with pilot Kristine Ciesinski, 65, of Victor, Idaho, when the glider crashed between Middle Teton and South Teton above Icefloe Lake in June 2018. Ciesinski also perished in the accident.

The pair departed from Teton Aviation Center in Driggs, Idaho, and were reported overdue to the Teton Interagency Dispatch center around noon.

The lawsuit claims Teton Aviation Center failed to properly service the aircraft and hired careless and dangerous pilots.

Personnel tried to reach the pilot by radio within an hour of the scheduled return. Ross also signed a release, the company said.

The National Transportation Safety Board investigated but did not identify a cause of the crash.