Osprey makers settle with Marine's family

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The manufacturers of the Osprey have agreed to pay more than $1 million to the family of a Marine killed in one of two deadly crashes of the aircraft, the family's lawyer said.

Robert Parks, attorney for the family of Lt. Col. Keith Sweaney, said he had been preparing a lawsuit against Boeing Co. and Bell Helicopter Textron, which make the $43 million Osprey. He said they agreed to pay "substantially more" than $1 million after a mediation session last month in Washington.

Fort Worth-based Bell and Seattle-based Boeing declined to comment beyond confirming the settlement.

"There is a confidentiality clause, and we're abiding by it," Bell spokesman Bob Leder said.

The Osprey is designed to take off and land like a helicopter and cruise like an airplane.

Sweaney, 42, was among four Marines killed in December when their Osprey crashed and burned in the woods near Jacksonville, N.C., on the way back from a training flight. Sweaney, of Stafford, Va., was one of the Marine Corps' most experienced V-22 pilots.

An April 2000 crash in Arizona killed 19 Marines.