The parents of an Ohio County teen who died in a flight training crash in September 2023 have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against several flight schools and instructors involved in his training.
Andrew and Aimee Quisenberry, co-administrators of the estate of their son Connor W. Quisenberry, are suing Eagle Flight Academy, LLC, and ATP Flight Academy, LLC, among other entities. The lawsuit, filed in Ohio County Circuit Court on Monday, alleges negligence and gross negligence by flight instructors and organizations involved in Connor’s training.
Connor Quisenberry, 18, was enrolled at Eagle Flight Academy in Owensboro, where he was pursuing his dream of becoming a pilot, according to court documents. The suit details that on September 27, 2023, during a night flight from Bowling Green to Owensboro, the plane he was in crashed due to severe weather conditions.
Both Quisenberry and his instructor, 22-year-old Timothy McKellar, Jr., died in the accident.
The lawsuit accuses McKellar — who had obtained his certification just four months prior, according to court documents — of failing to maintain a safe environment during the flight. The suit alleges that McKellar “was taking photos and videos and posting to his Snapchat social media account, making disparaging comments about Connor, expressing his impatience with Connor not being faster, and the fact that McKellar needed to get up early in the morning.”
The suit includes screenshots of social media posts made by McKellar during the training exercise in which McKellar was on duty and acting as a Certified Flight Instructor for Eagle Flight Academy.
The suit further claims that McKellar was aware of dangerous weather conditions but proceeded with the flight, leading to the fatal crash. The document includes a screenshot McKellar is alleged to have posted on his Snapchat account of a radar depiction of severe storms approaching their Owensboro destination.
The suite then details communications between McKellar and the Memphis and Indianapolis Air Route Control Centers as well as the Evansville Approach Control Radar Tower Position, all regarding the weather conditions.
Documents show that at approximately 10:50 p.m., the aircraft “broke up and crashed with great force and violence” in Ohio County, with the wreckage debris field spanning approximately 20 acres. According to the suit, radar reports and radio transmission records indicate that the aircraft “was in severe to extreme turbulence and then flying in circles for approximately 3-4 minutes prior to the crash.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report in October 2023 regarding the plane crash. The details outlined in the lawsuit align with that report.
The suit alleges that “As a direct and proximate result of the negligence of McKellar while acting in the course and scope of his employment as a flight instructor for Eagle Flight Academy, Connor sustained extensive fatal injuries, suffered severe and excruciating physical and mental pain and anguish prior to death, and died from his injuries.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, citing McKellar’s actions as reckless and grossly negligent. It also alleges that Eagle Flight Academy failed to adequately train and supervise its employees, and that ATP Flight Academy, which certified McKellar, neglected to address concerns about his qualifications as a flight instructor.
The Quisenberry family is represented by attorneys from Rhoads & Rhoads, P.S.C. of Owensboro and Ransdell Roach & Royse, PLLC of Lexington.
You can read the full lawsuit below:
