Training Flight Ends in Disaster, Family Sues Over Home’s Destruction

An Oregon family is suing for $18 million after a small plane slammed into their home during a flight training exercise.

Chris and Jana Ferris say their world was turned upside down last October when a twin-engine Piper Seminole from Hillsboro Aero Academy crashed into their house in Newberg. The couple, their four children, and the family dog all escaped without serious injury, but the home was destroyed.

The Ferrises have filed suit against the flight school, Alaska Airlines, Alaska Air Group subsidiary Horizon Air—which operates the Ascend Pilot Academy—and the estate of 20-year-old cadet pilot Barrett Bevacqua, who was killed in the accident. The complaint cites negligence, pointing to both the crash and the turmoil that followed: repeated displacements, ongoing insurance battles, and contamination concerns from spilled aviation fuel. Their attorney described the ordeal as “a tremendous pain” that continues to disrupt the family’s life.

Federal investigators determined that Bevacqua and a flight instructor were practicing an engine-failure maneuver when the plane stalled, entered a spin, and dropped more than 5,000 feet. The student pilot survived, but Bevacqua and the instructor did not.

Bevacqua’s relatives, surprised to be named in the lawsuit, emphasized that he was not in control of the flight. They have filed their own $27 million claim against the flight school, arguing that the instructor bore ultimate responsibility. “The pilot in command was the flight instructor, who was there to instruct, correct mistakes, and prevent accidents,” the family said in a statement to KPTV.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s final report, issued in February, found the crash was caused by the student’s failure to maintain control of the plane and the instructor’s inadequate supervision. Alaska Airlines acknowledged its role in supporting Bevacqua’s training but declined to comment on the litigation.

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