License of Pilot in Lake O Plane Crash is Questioned in Two Suits
WEST PALM BEACH - The widower of a woman killed when a small plane crashed into Lake Okeechobee on March 8, killing all five aboard, has sued the estate of the pilot as well as various companies associated with him.
The suit is raising questions about whether pilot Eduardo Mulet was paid for flying four lawyers to Tampa. That would contradict what he said in his flight plan and also would place in him in violation of his flying certification. A family member has said the flight was a favor.
The suit filed on behalf of Heather Bridwell's husband, Jason Bridwell, and the couple's 9-year-old daughter, was filed Tuesday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. It names the pilot's estate and his flying business. It also names various companies that leased and maintained the plane.
Mulet told air-traffic controllers the Piper 23-250 was having engine trouble moments before he tried to make an emergency landing at the Pahokee airport, the National Transportation Safety Board said March 19 in a preliminary report.
Killed were Mulet; Bridwell, 43, of Jupiter; Eric Peterson, 73, of Lighthouse Point; Matthew Fiorello, 36, of Palm Beach Gardens; and Edwin Mortell III, 54, of Stuart. The four lawyers worked for Peterson Bernard, a law firm based in Glen Ridge.
On July 17, Edwin Mortell's wife, Melissa Ann Mortell, filed suit in Palm Beach County, naming the the estate and some of the other entities as well, and making the same arguments.
The lawyers were flying from Tampa International Airport to North Palm Beach County Airport in suburban Palm Beach Gardens after a day trip to meet with prospective clients.
According to the March 19 NTSB report, Mulet declared an emergency and reported he was going to shut down his rough-running left engine and divert to the small county airport in Pahokee. Witnesses said the plane dropped at a 45-degree angle and slammed into shallow water about 400 yards from shore. Lawyers for Jason Bridwell said Wednesday the plane's speed was estimated at 135 mph.
The new lawsuit claims Mulet was "incompetent and otherwise unqualified" to fly that type of plane and didn't have enough experience piloting it. Lawyers also said they suspect the plane had mechanical problems that had caused previous engine failures and had not been adequately repaired.
FAA records show Mulet's last medical exam was in November 2017. According to FAA rules, after a year with no new exam, the medical certificate of a pilot over 40 is downgraded to third class from first. Pilots are allowed to fly with a third-class certificate as long as they are not flying for hire.
Lawyers for Jason Bridwell say they are trying to pin that down.
"He was doing it as a friend, as a favor," Marianne Rodriguez, Mulet's niece, told The Palm Beach Post March 14. "Flying was his passion."
The FAA said Wednesday that it will "investigate further if it receives information or documentation that the flight was conducted for hire."
The NTSB's initial report says the original flight plan was listed as not-for-pay. An NTSB spokesman stressed that the facts in the preliminary report are just that, and a final report could take months.
At a news briefing Wednesday, lawyers showed animation produced by the FlightAware webpage showing the plane deviating at times from its flight path. As it left Tampa International, where small planes compete not just with commercial flights but also traffic from nearby MacDill Air Force Base, controllers told Mulet he needed to get back into his lane, according to audio provided by the lawyers.
Mulet's widow, Casandra Mateo, could not be reached Wednesday for comment, and the attorney for Eduardo Mulet's estate did not immediately return a call.
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