Opinion ID: 483605
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Admission of Expert Deposition Testimony.

Text: 33 Monger contends that the district court erred in overruling his objection to the video-taped deposition testimony of Cessna's witness, Dale Carter, who gave an expert opinion as to the cause of the plane crash. Carter was employed by Teledyne Continental Motors at the time of the investigation. Monger asserts that because Carter worked closely with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in its investigation of the crash, his conclusions were barred by Section 304(c) of the Independent Safety Board Act of 1974. 9 34 We disagree. Although Carter's opinion as to the cause of the crash was outside of the scope of permissible testimony for an NTSB employee, see 49 C.F.R. Sec. 835.3(b) and American Airlines, Inc. v. United States, 418 F.2d 180, 196 (5th Cir.1969), he was not an NTSB employee, so the statute does not apply to him. Indeed, the applicable regulations specifically direct litigants to obtain their expert witnesses from sources other than the NTSB's investigative staff. 49 C.F.R. Sec. 835.3(a). 35