Opinion ID: 656609
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Breach of Duty by Both Actors

Text: 17 Both Robert Geranis and Craig Budden breached their respective duties of care regarding the fatal helicopter accident. In Budden I we determined that Geranis breached his duty of care by failing to provide Budden with the Chicago area forecast, which called for occasional cloud ceilings below 1,000 feet. Budden I at 194. 8 The determination that Geranis breached his duty to Budden establishes the law of the case which we apply on this appeal. 18 The district court found that Budden also breached his duty of care. A pilot must exercise the highest degree of care. Redhead v. United States, 686 F.2d 178, 182 (3d Cir.1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1203, 103 S.Ct. 1190, 75 L.Ed.2d 435 (1983). Testimony from Hutchinson, Kuchera, and the Hollenbecks, supports the district court's finding that Craig Budden breached his duty of care by failing to act reasonably when he encountered cloud ceilings below 1,000 feet and visibility of less than three miles. Budden knew or should have known that his only reasonable course of action was to abort the mission, either by turning the aircraft around or landing immediately. We determine that substantial evidence supports the finding by the trial judge that Budden's action in flying further into the bad weather at low altitude constituted a breach of duty.