Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 6, 1994 TAG: 9401060078
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From staff and Associated Press reports
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
R. Shan Paden, an attorney for Allison's family, said experts hired by the estate determined a part linked to the helicopter's "collective" - a stick used to control flight - failed.
The helicopter, with Allison at the controls, crashed in the infield of Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on July 12. Allison died the next day from head injuries suffered in the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board has yet to determine what caused the accident.
Hal Klopper, spokesman for the Mesa, Ariz.-based helicopter company, declined to comment on the suit, filed in December in Birmingham, Ala.
The suit was filed on behalf of Davey Allison Racing Enterprises Inc.; Tommy Allison, as executor of Allison's estate; and driver Red Farmer, who was in the helicopter with Allison and was injured in the crash.
Named as defendants along with McDonnell Douglas were unnamed people and companies responsible for the design, manufacture, sale, inspection, maintenance and repair of the aircraft, a Hughes 369-C helicopter that Allison had owned for a few weeks.
McDonnell Douglas bought Hughes Aircraft and is responsible for its products, said Jim Thompson, another lawyer representing the Allison estate.
\ INGLE JOINS RUDD'S TEAM: Bill Ingle, absent from the Winston Cup series since September 1992, has returned to NASCAR racing as Ricky Rudd's crew chief.
Ingle, Michael Waltrip's former crew chief, officially began working for Rudd on Monday, but worked most of last week at the new team's temporary shop in Mooresville, N.C.
"We interviewed a lot of people and there were some awfully good people people available, but Bill sort of jumped out," Rudd said Tuesday. "He's very hungry right now. He's been away for a year-and-a-half and his personality seemed to really fit in with what we're trying to do."
Rudd said Ingle has brought organizational skills to his team, and "with Bill on board I can forget about any loose ends on the race team and concentrate more on the front office and the business side of things. I had been spread pretty thin."
Ingle, 37, was Waltrip's crew chief with the Bahari Racing team from 1989 until he resigned in September 1992. He also has worked with Alan Kulwicki, Hendrick Motorsports and Junior Johnson.
After leaving Bahari, Ingle spent much of his time in an unsuccessful effort to start his own Winston Cup team. He also refurbished and sold cars.
Rudd, meanwhile, said he will be testing his new Ford Thunderbird in a wind tunnel in Georgia on Saturday. Construction of his permanent shop in Mooresville is well under way and he expects to relocate there in late February.
\ PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE: Sterling Marlin led his fellow Chevy drivers for the third consecutive day during General Motors practice Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway. Marlin circled the 2.5-mile Florida track at 190.759 mph during an all-out run on his final lap of the day.
Harry Gant was second-fastest at 190.638 mph, followed by Robert Pressley (187.852 mph), Steve Grissom (187.774), Neil Bonnett (186.877), Joe Nemechek (185.414) and Kerry Teague (182.482) as NASCAR Winston Cup teams prepare for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20.
GM cars are back at the speedway today for a final day of testing, but everyone except Marlin and Nemechek packed and left after Wednesday's session.
\ SHOW TIME: The 1994 NASCAR season unofficially opens Saturday with the annual Winston Cup preview at the Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C. The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. is host for the show, which runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and benefits Brenner Children's Hospital and AirCare.
Virtually every regular Winston Cup driver has promised to be there to sign autographs in two-hour shifts: Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Todd and Geoff Bodine and Terry and Bobby Labonte beginning at 9 a.m.; Bobby Allison, Ken Schrader, Mark Martin, the Burton brothers, Jimmy Hensley and Bill Elliott starting at 11:15 a.m.; the Waltrip brothers, Rick Mast, Ricky Rudd, Ernie Irvan and Wally Dallenbach beginning at 1:30 p.m.; and Harry Gant, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Petty and Jimmy Spencer starting at 3:45 p.m.
Tickets are $10 each, but admission is free to children 12 and under. Tickets can be ordered by calling (800) 448-4742 or can be purchased at Taco Bell restaurants in Martinsville, Danville and Roanoke.
by CNB