The family of a teenage student pilot has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two separate flight schools they say each played a role in their son’s fatal crash.

In September 2023, 18-year-old flight student Connor W. Quisenberry was in the cockpit with his flight instructor, 22-year-old Timothy A. McKellar. McKellar was not the teenager's usual flight instructor at the time of the fatal flight. The pair’s aircraft, a small Piper PA28, went down following a storm. After a long search, the aircraft was located in a rural area in Ohio County, Kentucky. Both Quisenberry and McKellar died in the crash. The teenager, who had a passion for aviation, was just one month away from sitting for his exam and earning his commercial pilot license.

On the day of his fatal accident, Quisenberry was paired with McKellar, a certified flight instructor at Eagle Flight Academy in Owensboro. The pair were set to take flight for an overnight training session – a requirement for certification. The evening of the fatal crash, the pair had gone up on practice flight and landing drills before they set off for their instruction flight.

Last week, Quisenberry’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Ohio County Circuit Court on behalf of their son. They say it was a “totally unnecessary and avoidable crash.” They blame both McKellar and Eagle Flight Academy for the crash. The lawsuit also lists ATP Flight School, the institute where McKellar received his training, as a defendant. The lawsuit argues that the academy knew McKellar was not a safe pilot but was allowed to take Quisenberry on flight training. Two months after the crash, Eagle Flight Academy closed down its operations.

Ohio’s wrongful death statute is outlined in Section 2125.01 the state code. Surviving family members can file a wrongful death lawsuit if a death was caused by a “wrongful act, neglect, or default.” Other parties, including third-party individuals such as ATP Flight School, can also be held liable for wrongful death.

The family says that during the flight, McKellar was taking photos and videos and was sharing them on social media. McKellar was also aware of the threat of storms, as he posted radar images of the storms on social media. Their complaint details that McKellar was in communication with air route control centers that were telling him how to stay ahead of the impending storms. The small aircraft allegedly flew in circles through turbulence for several minutes before it went down.

The accident remains under investigation by the NTSB. They released a preliminary report last October in which investigators confirmed the airplane was flying through poor weather conditions at the time of the accident.

The family is seeking unspecified damage, and a hearing is scheduled for October.