Oates v. United States

• Decision Date: 27 September 1972
• Docket Number: Civ. A. No. 1205-S.
• Citation: 348 F. Supp. 841
• Parties: Dennis George OATES and James H. Binger, Plaintiffs, v. The UNITED STATES of America, Defendant.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Middle District of Alabama

348 F. Supp. 841

Dennis George OATES and James H. Binger, Plaintiffs, v. The UNITED STATES of America, Defendant.

Civ. A. No. 1205-S.

United States District Court, M. D. Alabama, S. D.

September 27, 1972.

Richard C. Belser, Hill, Robison, Belser, Brewer & Phelps, Montgomery, Ala., and J. Kenneth Jensen, La Jolla, Cal., for plaintiffs.

Ira DeMent, U. S. Atty., and Kenneth E. Vines, Asst. U. S. Atty., M. D. Alabama, Montgomery, Ala., for the United States.

ORDER

JOHNSON, Chief Judge.

This is an action brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1346(b), 267 et seq., seeking damages for the destruction of a helicopter. The case is now submitted upon cross-motions for summary judgment, each made pursuant to Rule 56, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and a written stipulation of facts upon which said motions for summary judgment are based.

Plaintiff Binger was the owner of a Bell Helicopter, Model 47G-2A1, No. 73980, which he leased to plaintiff Oates. Plaintiff Oates, in turn, leased the helicopter to Napier Air Service; Napier, in turn, entered into a contract with the United States Army whereby Napier agreed to furnish certain approved aircraft for use by Army Reserve Aviators in the Dothan, Alabama, area. W. J. Goss was a member of the Army Reserve and was on March 31, 1969, issued orders to obtain six hours of reserve duty training between April 1 and June 10, 1969, at Government expense, in aircraft belonging to Napier Air Service. The purpose of this six hours of flying time was "to sustain rotor wing proficiency." Pursuant to these orders, Goss logged four helicopter flight hours during the month of May, 1969. On June 7, 1969, Goss arrived at Napier Air Service and, based upon his orders, was permitted to check out the helicopter owned by the plaintiffs.¹ Goss departed Napier Field dressed in civilian clothes, without having filed a flight plan or having obtained a weather briefing—all of which was contrary to his military orders and regulations.² On this point the evidence reflects that Napier Air Service had no authority to refuse permission to any Army reservist who had appropriate orders, such as Goss had, even though the Army reservist appeared for duty in civilian clothes, did not have a flight plan and did not have weather information. Upon obtaining the helicopter, Goss flew directly to Headland Air Field where he landed the aircraft and allowed a Miss Whittle and a Mr. Davis to board the aircraft. Shortly after departing Headland airport, the aircraft struck power lines, causing the aircraft to crash and killing all three persons aboard. At the time of the crash, the helicopter had a fair market value of $24,800.

It is stipulated that Goss violated Army regulations which prohibited unauthorized passengers and which required reservists to pilot aircraft in flight uniform, file a flight plan, obtain a weather briefing, and fly at required minimum altitudes. It is further stipulated that the Department of the Army paid Alabama Power Company for damages to the wires struck by the aircraft, and paid for the June 7, 1969 rental of the aircraft by Goss.

Civil actions by the legal representatives of Davis and Whittle, filed pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act, resulted in judgments in favor of the United States. Whittle v. United States, 328 F.Supp. 1361. However, the parties stipulate that they are not bound in this case by the findings, conclusions or judgment that was made in Whittle. The Government insists that the finding of the Court in the Whittle case that

". . . Goss departed so far from the lines of his duties that he exceeded or departed completely from his authority, or that he rented the plane as a civilian, not as a military pilot, and never intended to thereby perform services in the scope of his duties"

is nevertheless conclusive of that issue in this case, especially since the plaintiffs have agreed that they are unable to present any evidence in addition to that which was presented to the Court in the Whittle case.

This Court is of the opinion that the decision in the Whittle case is of no precedential value in this case. It appears that in Whittle the Court indicated that there was sufficient evidence to infer that Goss was either acting as a civilian, and thus not within the scope of his authority as an agent of the Government, or that he had departed so far from his authority that he was no longer acting as an agent of the Government. It is evident, however, that the Court in Whittle based its judgment upon the legal effect of an agent's offer of a ride to third parties in violation of the rule of his principal. The Court in Whittle concluded that the passengers were no more than trespassers and, as such, were only legally entitled not to be willfully or wantonly injured by the master or the agent acting in the scope of his authority. This construction of Whittle is borne out by the fact that the Court, subsequent to finding that Goss was not acting within the scope of his authority, stated further that there was insufficient evidence "showing wanton misconduct on the part of Defendant's agent." 328 F.Supp. at 1365. Thus, the Whittle Court's finding as to the capacity in which Goss flew would not appear to be...