Title: Sapp v. Beech Aircraft Corp.

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

564 So. 2d 418 (1990)
Lisa Collins SAPP, as administratrix of the estate of Chester L. Collins, deceased
v.
BEECH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION.
89-184.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
April 27, 1990.
Robert M. Echols, Jr., Birmingham, for appellant.
John M. Laney, Jr. and Thomas L. Oliver II of Rives & Peterson, Birmingham, for appellee.
ADAMS, Justice.
Plaintiff, Lisa Collins Sapp, as administratrix of the estate of Chester L. Collins, deceased (hereinafter "Sapp"), appeals from a summary judgment for the defendant, Beech Aircraft Corporation. We affirm.
On September 27, 1977, Chester L. Collins was killed when the Beechcraft King airplane he was piloting crashed at the Auburn-Opelika airport. According to Collins's co-pilot, the airplane hit some tall pine trees while approaching the runway, damaging the right wing and right propeller. Then, after hitting another group of trees, the plane crashed. The co-pilot escaped the airplane prior to its being engulfed in flames; however, Mr. Collins perished in the fire.
On September 12, 1979, Sapp, as administratrix of her father's estate, sued Beech Aircraft. Sapp contended that the seatbelt, which was a component part in the airplane which was manufactured by Beech Aircraft, was "defective" within the meaning of the Alabama Extended Manufacturer's *419 Liability Doctrine ("AEMLD"), and that the alleged defect caused Collins's death. Also named as a defendant was Hangar One, Inc., the seller of the airplane.
The trial court entered a summary judgment in favor of Hangar One on June 8, 1983. That judgment was made final, and Sapp did not appeal from it.
Beech Aircraft filed its motion for summary judgment on June 27, 1989. The Court heard oral argument and the parties filed briefs. At this point, there had been years of discovery. The trial court entered summary judgment in favor of Beech Aircraft. The trial court, in ruling on a summary judgment motion, may consider any evidence before it that would be admissible at trial, as well as any material submitted in support of or in opposition to the motion. Morris v. Morris, 366 So. 2d 676 (Ala.1978).
Beech Aircraft, the party moving for summary judgment, bore the burden of showing that no genuine issue of material fact existed and that it was entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Burkett v. Loma Machine Manufacturing, Inc., 552 So. 2d 134 (Ala.1989); Rule 56(c), A.R.Civ.P.
We have stated the following regarding the AEMLD:
Casrell v. Altec Industries, Inc., 335 So. 2d 128, 132 (Ala.1976); see also Atkins v. American Motors Corp., 335 So. 2d 134, 141 (Ala.1976).
Moreover, this Court has defined "defect" and "defective" as those terms apply in regard to the AEMLD:
Casrell, 335 So. 2d  at 133.
The definitive case setting forth the plaintiff's burden of proof regarding a defect under the AEMLD is Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. Haven Hills Farm, Inc., 395 So. 2d 991 (Ala.1981). In that case, with regard to the proof necessary to establish a prima facie case, we stated:
395 So. 2d  at 995 (citations omitted).
In support of its motion for summary judgment, Beech Aircraft relied on affidavit testimony to the fact that the decedent's airplane had been subjected to a routine 100-hour inspection two months before the crash. During this inspection, the pilot's seatbelt was thoroughly inspected in accordance with industry standards and was found to be satisfactory in all respects.
In opposition to Beech Aircraft's motion for summary judgment, Sapp relied on two affidavits. The co-pilot stated in his affidavit that during the second impact of the plane with the trees, Collins's seatbelt unfastened. In his opinion, he said, Collins's death was a direct result of the seatbelt's failure.
Sapp also offered the affidavit of her expert witness, Don Hall. His affidavit stated in part:
The burden of proving that the product was in a defective condition at the time it left the hands of the seller is upon the plaintiff. Unless evidence can be produced that will support the conclusion that it was defective when it left the hands of the seller, the burden is not sustained. Atkins, 335 So. 2d  at 146; Restatement (Second) of Torts, § 402A (1965), Comment g.
The only evidence before us shows that during the crash of an airplane, during the second impact with some trees, the decedent's seatbelt failed. There was no evidence that the seatbelt was defective at the time the plane left the hands of Beech Aircraft. Therefore, Sapp failed to meet her burden of proving that the seatbelt was defective. The summary judgment in favor of Beech Aircraft Corporation is, therefore, affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
HORNSBY, C.J., and MADDOX, ALMON and STEAGALL, JJ., concur.