PhillyInc

Two years after a de-icing boom hit fell on a US Airways jetliner in Philadelphia, the legal fight is hitting full stride. Nobody was hurt on the London-bound Airbus A330 sitting on the Tarmac in Philly. But at least four lawsuits have been filed. And 11 other de-icing booms in Philly had been found to have structural defects. It's all detailed in an SEC filing by boom owner Air T Inc. (Nasdaq: AIRT) of North Carolina, which reads like a litigators' soap opera. Air T is being sued by the city of Philadelphia, by the airline, and even by its then-employee, boom operator Robert Emerson, who has claimed injuries. US Airways is seeking $2.6 million in costs to fix the plane and lost revenue. In turn Air T is suing the boom-maker, Glazer Enterprises Inc. of Omaha. The city's lawsuit also names Glazer, which also goes by Elliot Equipment Co. The 135-foot boom collapsed in February 2005, causing structural damage to the aircraft. Since then, Air T -- operating in Philly under the subsidiary Global Ground Support L.L.C. -- had
evidently has been trying to make amends. It said it spent $905,000 as of last year to return all booms to service after an independent structural engineering firm found design flaws and structural defects. An Air-T executive declined to comment beyond the SEC filing. The cases are scheduled to start coming to trial in September. - Jonathan Berr