Aon Pilot’s Family to Get $9.5 Million From Airport

The family of an Aon Corp. pilot killed in a 1996 airplane crash will be paid almost $9.5 million by the Wheeling, Ill., Palwaukee Municipal Airport pursuant to the order of an Illinois trial court.

The crash also killed Arthur F. Quern, Aon’s former retail brokerage unit’s CEO. The private jet crashed briefly after takeoff at the Wheeling airport, killing Quern, Alberto-Culver pilot Robert Whitener, Aon pilot Martin Koppie and another person.

Fault for the crash was the matter at the heart of the trial, where jurors ultimately assigned 90 percent responsibility to the airport and 5 percent to each of the pilots. Alberto-Culver is insured by Short Hills, N.J.-based Associated Aviation Underwriters, while Aon is covered by U.S. Aircraft Insurance Group.