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Evidence Keyed to Sklansky
Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Rainey
Citation:
488 U.S. 152 (1988)Facts
A crash occurred on a Navy training aircraft which killed two pilots. The pilots surviving spouses brought a product liability suit against the defendants, the plane’s manufacturer and the plane’s servicer. The plaintiffs alleged that the crash had been caused by a loss of engine power due to some defect in the aircraft’s fuel control system. The defendants claimed that the crash was due to pilot error. One of the plaintiff’s, Mr. Rainey, had conducted his own investigation about the cause of an accident. At trial, Mr. Rainey was called as an adverse witness and admitted that he made previous statements that his spouse had made a few mistakes in flying the aircraft. On cross, the plaintiff’s counsel asked a follow-up question about what the Mr. Rainey had previously said to reveal the full scope of the conversation. The trial court sustained the defense’s objection and did not allow Mr. Rainey to answer the question.
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