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Evidence Keyed to Sklansky
Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Rainey
Citation:
488 U.S. 153 (1988)Facts
A Navy training aircraft crashed at Middleton Field, Alabama, taking the lives of two pilots. The two pilots surviving spouses brought suit against the defendant. The plaintiffs alleged that the crash had been caused by a loss of engine power known as “rollback,” due to some defect in the aircraft’s fuel control system. The defendants, argued that the crash was caused by pilot error.
During trial, a piece of evidence presented by the defense was an investigative report prepared by a lieutenant known as “the JAG Report.” The JAG Report completed during the six weeks following the accident, was organized into sections labeled “finding of fact,” “opinions,” and “recommendations.” The district court admitted the report’s factual findings and “opinions.” The jury ruled in favor of the defendants.
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