A Cessna airplane crashed during landing at Palwaukee Airport, killing the 4 persons onboard.Court properly granted summary judgment for all Defendants. As to claim for negligent entrustment, Plaintiff's expert's affidavit fails to identify some act or omission that pilot did or failed to do that caused plane to stall and crash, and thus opinion was properly stricken as speculative. Evidence establishes no causal nexus between crash and any of the specific reasons that Plaintiffs' experts contend pilot was incompetent or inexperienced so as to prevent the Defendants' entrustment of the plane to him. Proving negligence or pilot error is not sufficient to establish negligent entrustment. Res ipsa loquitur doctrine is inapplicable.(HOWSE and ELLIS, concurring.)
Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Negligence