Nearly a year after a small plane crashed in a fireball at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, killing the pilot and his three passengers, the family of one of the victims has reached a legal settlement with the pilot’s estate.
According to her obituary, Lauren Harrington, 42, had worked as an assistant to the pilot, 47-year-old Jonathan Rosen, for 20 years before both died in the crash Oct. 8, 2021. Two children also died: Rosen’s 14-year-old daughter Allie and 13-year-old Julia Smith.
Harrington’s parents retained Beasley Allen Law Firm to file a lawsuit against Rosen’s estate, the firm said in a statement Thursday. The firm said it “achieved a substantial settlement” out of court but did not disclose the amount.
The lawsuit alleged that Rosen made critical miscalculations after his plane, a 1978 Cessna 210, was overhauled with a new engine and auxiliary fuel tank.
Rosen was a successful entrepreneur who started his own financial services company, Entaire Global Companies, Inc., which was acquired by Synovus Bank in 2016, according to the Jonathan D. Rosen Family Foundation’s website. Rosen also continued to work as an executive at Synovus after the bank acquired his company.
Harrington, described in her obituary as Rosen’s “loyal friend and assistant” who helped him grow his business, was believed to have joined him on a personal family trip bound for Houston, Texas, on the day she died, according to Daniel Boggs, the air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board that led the probe of the crash.
The Cessna was fully fueled and loaded down before embarking for Houston, Harrington’s family alleged in the suit. It had recently been outfitted with a new Rolls Royce turbine engine, which was more powerful than the original engine but also used more fuel. An auxiliary fuel tank was also installed to accommodate the new engine.
The lawsuit claimed Rosen had less than two hours of flight experience in the newly modified plane, and that he had completed only one day of a five-day training course. The suit also claimed Rosen overloaded the Cessna because his calculations of its weight and center of gravity were incorrect.
“Lauren Harrington and the two children that embarked on that flight with Mr. Rosen trusted him to ensure the safety of the aircraft and pilot the aircraft safely to their destination,” Beasley Allen attorney Mike Andrews said. “They placed their lives in his hands, and unfortunately, he failed to keep them safe.”
When the Cessna took off, it climbed for a moment before rolling to its left and crashing into the ground. It bounced once before coming to rest and becoming engulfed in flames. The crash prompted a large-scale emergency response and horrified diners eating lunch at a restaurant near the runway.
“While we cannot ever give the family what they truly want — their daughter — we are hopeful that resolving this case helps by providing our clients answers to the questions they have struggled with regarding the crash,” Andrews said.
Harrington was an animal lover who is survived by her parents, two siblings and several other extended family members.
Rosen is survived by his wife, another daughter and a large extended family, his obituary said.
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