Pilot's family rejects report in U-M crash that killed 6

"The NTSB's depiction of Capt. William Serra reflects the myopic view often induced by the search for scapegoats rather than causes for accidents," said a two-page statement Friday from Serra's family. "Capt. Serra knew his responsibilities and took them quite seriously."

In an interview Friday, his daughter, Jennifer Serra, 31, of Clinton Township, said the family believes a mechanical problem was the likely cause of the crash.

"We are going to focus our battle in the courtroom where it is going to matter more," Serra said Friday. "We want to make sure this never happens again to any pilot."

The family has sued Cessna, the maker of the plane that crashed.

Her mother, Debbie, said her mission was to fix problems in the plane that crashed. "I just want to save a life. I can't get my husband back," Debbie Serra said. "When an airplane shorts out and won't take a command from the pilot, there's nothing the pilot can do."

The National Transportation Safety Board ruled Wednesday the probable cause of the deadly crash was pilot error. The Marlin Air charter flight crashed into Lake Michigan minutes after takeoff from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International airport.

The Marlin Air co-pilot, Dennis Hoyes of Jackson, was "ill-prepared" and likely hindered efforts by the pilot, Bill Serra, to make an emergency landing, the board said. Serra had previously had his license revoked for a felony conviction for flying drugs into the United States and routinely ignored safety procedures, the NTSB said.

Marlin Air selected Serra -- "who routinely failed to comply with procedures and regulations" -- as chief pilot, and the carrier "contributed to an inadequate company safety culture."

The family noted Serra's felony conviction "occurred almost 30 years ago and was the tragic result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He chose not to mount an aggressive defense after his wife and children received specific death threats related to his cooperation with the prosecution."

The family noted Serra of Macomb Township was a Navy veteran and flew missions in support of the U.S. military as a civilian pilot. The family also noted that Serra flew Detroit Free Press columnist and author Mitch Albom on a nationwide book tour.

NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said the board stands by its conclusions and recommendations.

Serra had been hired by Marlin Air in February 2005 and had 300 hours flying the Cessna-type plane and 14,000 hours total flying time.

The NTSB said U-M medical teams had complained about the air contractor but that there had been no contact with the Federal Aviation Administration. The NTSB also criticized the FAA's oversight of the carrier.

U-M spokesman Bruce Spiher said U-M medical crews hadn't reported any safety concerns.

"The 'concerns' expressed by Flight Safety crew members were minor things that weren't the kind of thing that should be elevated to the FAA," Spiher said.

"In fact, the concerns were related to the Marlin plane that was used as an air ambulance, not the one that crashed."

U-M canceled its contract with Marlin in June 2007.