On December 19,1997, a Silk Air Boeing 737 unexplainably entered uncontrolled flight and crashed near Palembang, Indonesia. All onboard perished. Boeing immediately claimed the Singaporean pilot had committed suicide, taking everyone else with him. Boeing found an ally in the U.S. NTSB which supported the Boeing suicide theory.
However, attorney acting on behalf of Asia Pacific clients (and others) refused to accept this explanation. After an extensive independent investigation and an extremely difficult 8 year battle with the defendants, the attorneys were able to establish that the crash was caused, not by an intentional act by the pilot, but by a defect in the aircraft’s power control unit. Asia Pacific clients were eventually rewarded confidential multi-million dollar settlements. These settlements are believed to be the highest ever paid to non-American citizens in the crash of a foreign airline.