One of the passengers aboard the plane that crashed into a house 10 miles from Buffalo, New York, airport late on Thursday was a 9/11 widow who had questioned the official account of the attacks, sued the government and consistently lobbied for an Investigative Commission.
Beverly Eckert was flying to the city for a celebration of what would have been her husband Sean Rooney's 58th birthday, reports the Press Association. Mr Rooney died on the 98th floor of the World Trade Center's south tower.
She was among the 44 passengers and four crew on board the Continental Connection flight operated by Colgan Air when it crashed in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence Center.
After 9/11, Ms Eckert refused to accept a cash settlement as compensation and instead sued the government.
"I am suing because unlike other investigative avenues… my lawsuit requires all testimony be given under oath and fully uses powers to compel evidence." Eckert wrote in December 2003 in a statement entitled My Silence Cannot Be Bought.
"The victims’ fund was not created in a spirit of compassion.… Lawmakers capped the liability of the airlines at the behest of lobbyists who descended on Washington while the September 11 fires still smoldered." she wrote.
Other September 11 relatives who accepted settlements forfeited their right to sue the airlines, airports, security companies, or other US organizations that could have been faulted for negligence and inadequate security measures. This ensured that very little detail of the attacks emerged outside of the government appointed 9/11 Commission.
