The Jennifer Riordan settlement with Southwest Airlines was reached through mediation, and the dollar amount has never been made public. Her family, represented by Kreindler & Kreindler, resolved the wrongful death claim after a preparation process that included focus groups and mock trial work before the parties settled.1Kreindler & Kreindler. Kreindler Successfully Represents Victims of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 Catastrophic Engine Failure The terms remain confidential.
Why the Amount Is Not Public
Confidential settlements are standard in U.S. aviation wrongful death cases. Even the roughly 95 families of September 11 victims who chose to litigate rather than accept the Victims Compensation Fund reached settlements with aviation insurers on a confidential basis.2Keystone Law. How Is Compensation Calculated After an Aviation Accident
Where figures do surface, they vary widely. The factors that drive value include the decedent’s earning capacity, the jurisdiction, and the availability of unlimited emotional-distress damages in U.S. courts. One analysis of U.S. general aviation fatality claims put the average at $5.2 million, though individual outcomes differ sharply based on circumstance.2Keystone Law. How Is Compensation Calculated After an Aviation Accident Jennifer Riordan was 43, a Wells Fargo executive in Albuquerque, and the mother of two children.
What Happened on Flight 1380
Southwest Flight 1380, a Boeing 737-700 flying from New York’s LaGuardia to Dallas Love Field on April 17, 2018, suffered a left-engine failure at roughly 32,000 feet. Fan blade No. 13 in the CFM56-7B engine snapped off from a low-cycle fatigue crack in the blade’s dovetail.3NTSB. NTSB Issues Safety Recommendations After Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 Investigation Debris from the fan cowl struck the fuselage and a cabin window blew out, causing rapid depressurization.4Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Library. NTSB Aircraft Accident Report AAR-19-03 Riordan, seated near the window, died of blunt impact trauma to her head, neck, and torso. The Philadelphia medical examiner ruled the death accidental.5CBS News. Southwest Flight 1380 Jennifer Riordan Cause of Death She was the sole fatality; eight other passengers sustained minor injuries.
Passenger Claims Were Separate
Within days of the accident, Southwest sent every passenger a letter of apology, a $5,000 check for immediate needs, and a $1,000 travel voucher. Accepting the payment did not waive any right to sue.6Fox 29. Southwest 1380 Passengers Receive Letter, $5,000 and Travel Voucher as Compensation
Several did. In June 2018, a group of passengers including Cindy Arenas, Donald and Beverly Kirkland, and Connor Brown sued Southwest, Boeing, GE Aviation Systems, Safran USA, and CFM International in New York State Supreme Court, citing post-traumatic stress disorder and other emotional injuries.7NBC Philadelphia. Passengers on Fatal Southwest Flight 1380 Sue Airline, Boeing Lilia Chavez filed separately in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.8ABC News. Passenger on Deadly Southwest Flight Files Lawsuit By June 2019, an amended New York complaint sought $1 billion in damages on behalf of more than half a dozen plaintiffs, led by attorney Jonathan W. Johnson.9WSB-TV. Couple Joins Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Boeing, Southwest Airlines
Kreindler & Kreindler and Slack Davis Sanger each reported securing settlements for injured passengers covering pain, suffering, and expenses tied to physical injuries and PTSD, without disclosing amounts.1Kreindler & Kreindler. Kreindler Successfully Represents Victims of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 Catastrophic Engine Failure Those passenger recoveries are separate from the Riordan family’s wrongful death resolution.
What the NTSB Found About Fault
The National Transportation Safety Board adopted its final report in November 2019. The probable cause was a fatigue crack in the dovetail of fan blade No. 13 that went undetected during the blade set’s last overhaul in October 2012 and during subsequent on-wing visual inspections. The crack had begun before that 2012 overhaul but was missed by the fluorescent penetrant inspection performed at the time.4Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Library. NTSB Aircraft Accident Report AAR-19-03
The NTSB determined that Southwest’s own maintenance was not a contributing factor. A similar non-fatal fan-blade-out event on a different Southwest 737-700 at Pensacola in August 2016 had already prompted CFM International to develop more sensitive inspection methods, and by August 2019 those techniques had caught 15 cracked blades on separate engines.4Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Library. NTSB Aircraft Accident Report AAR-19-03 The board also found that the fan cowl structure itself was vulnerable at the point where the separated blade struck, and it issued seven safety recommendations, most directed at redesign of the 737 Next-Generation fan cowl and at certification analysis of critical blade-impact locations.3NTSB. NTSB Issues Safety Recommendations After Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 Investigation Those findings framed the liability picture the parties were negotiating against when the Riordan case settled.