Jury awards $10 million to pilot fired over ice storm flight

(Dallas-AP) -- A jury has awarded ten (m) million dollars to an American Eagle pilot who says he was fired for refusing to fly during an ice storm.<br><br>Michael LaGrotte says he was fired in 1996 after

Thursday, January 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Dallas-AP) -- A jury has awarded ten (m) million dollars to an American Eagle pilot who says he was fired for refusing to fly during an ice storm.

Michael LaGrotte says he was fired in 1996 after ten years on the job for refusing to fly from Dallas to Houston because he thought it was unsafe.

American Eagle is the regional airline owned by American Airlines' parent company. The airline says LaGrotte was fired for failing to follow proper procedures during severe ice conditions and for safety lapses on two other occasions.

American Airlines will be the focus of a federal hearing later this month into a crash in Little Rock, Arkansas, last year that killed eleven people. There are indications the pilot may have been urged to land during a severe thunderstorm.