Goodyear Wants South Carolina Learjet Suit in Federal Court

A company being sued over the fatal South Carolina Learjet crash that killed four and injured two celebrities has filed an appeal asking the case be handled in federal court.

Attorneys for Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. made the request in documents filed Wednesday.

Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity DJ AM were injured last September when the Learjet ran off the end of the runway at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Four others were killed.

In their lawsuit, the plane’s owner and operator said design flaws at the airport, and on the part of Learjet Inc., Bombardier Aerospace Corp. and Goodyear were to blame for the crash’s severity.

Last month, a federal judge granted the owner’s request to send the case to a state court.