A civil lawsuit has been filed in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court over the death of one of the passengers of the June 29 plane crash in Howland Township that killed all six on board. 

Julianna Margala, the sister of 34-year-old crash victim Maria Weller, has filed a lawsuit against the owner of the plane and the estate of the pilot. 

The six people who died in the crash were the pilot of the plane, 63-year-old Joseph Maxin; 55-year-old Timothy Blake, along with four passengers: 68-year-old Veronica Weller, 67-year-old James Weller II, 36-year-old John Weller and 34-year-old Maria Weller.

The six were killed when a plane crashed seven minutes after taking off from Youngstown Regional Airport on a flight headed to Bozeman, Montana. The plane went down about two miles west of the airport, in the backyard of a home in a heavily wooded area.

The lawsuit was filed on December 5 against Meander Air, LLC and the estate of Maxin, who was the contracted pilot for the business.

The suit is seeking compensatory damages in excess of $25,000, along with interest, costs, attorney fees, and additional relief deemed by the court against Meander Air for negligence, wrongful death, vicarious liability, and survival claim; and against the estate of Maxin, for negligence/wrongful death and survival claim.

The suit is seeking relief from Meander Air for the alleged 'negligence, carelessness, and recklessness of the Defendants,' on behalf of Maria Weller.

The suit alleges the business failed to 'inspect, service, maintain, and/or repair the subject aircraft, its engines, accessories, systems, components and assemblies in accordance with all applicable federal aviation regulations, aircraft maintenance manuals, and all other applicable standards of care and practice.'

The suit claims the business should have known the aircraft was 'defective, unairworthy, or otherwise unsafe.'

The suit also claims Meander Air failed to "instruct, train, educate, observe and/or supervise their agents, servants, and/or employees, including Defendant Maxin" and claims negligence in its hiring, training, supervising and/or retaining Maxin as the pilot.

The suit states that Margala and her parents, and other family members, have suffered "the loss of support, love, affection, comfort, services, society, companionship, consortium, care, assistance, attention, protection, advice, guidance, counsel, instruction, training, education, and other benefits inherent in family relationships, for all of which damages are claimed." The suit also states mental anguish, grief, and distress as the reason for seeking damages.

The Weller family owned Liberty Steel in Warren. James was the son of James Weller, the first, who at one point co-owned Sharon Speedway. 

The civil suit is seeking a jury trial.

RELATED STORIES