The today’s news is that the Judy and Douglas Barton family (the crippled couple) won the trial in which they are going to receive $9.5 million from the helicopter parts manufacturer company.

The accident happened during a sightseeing flight over Haui, when the McDonnell Douglas 500 had a malfunction due to a manufacturing defect at one of the helicopter’s parts, and crashed over an YMCA camp (source: The National Transportation Safety Board).

After this has been announced, the owner of the crashed helicopter investigated all others in his fleet and found other two with the same defect.

No more than four days earlier, a Heli-USA Airways helicopter crashed in the same area, and four persons were killed in that accident.

Unfortunately, one of the causes in helicopters crashes is the metal of the blades getting old, sometimes even before the number of rotations estimated for a lifespan to be done.

Thinking of all these, I believe I’d never step in a McDonnell Douglas, or any other type of helicopter again. The Bartons were lucky to win the trial, but the price they had to pay was way too big.