Lawsuit filed over hangar collapse near Boise airport

A lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court in connection with the hangar collapse near Boise Airport in January.

Three people were killed and nine others were injured when the private hangar collapsed. The cause of the collapse is still unclear.

Enrique Serna is the lawyer representing the families of two of the deceased.

Big D Builders, the construction company responsible for the hangar, hired Defendant Steel Building Systems to draw and construct the hangar, according to a filing emailed to Boise State Public Radio. That company hired Walker Structural Engineering to create the hangar plans, which were submitted in 2023 and approved by the city of Boise.

Serna wrote in the filing that a second set of construction plans was never fully submitted to the city of Boise and did not have an “engineer’s stamp” of approval. The filing said the revised plans included fewer columns and structural support.

“Essentially, the SBS Install Set modified all of the struts and support lines, requiring 25 to 30 percent fewer struts than the approved hangar plans,” Serna wrote.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s final report on the incident has not yet been released. OSHA citations for violations must be issued within six months of the incident.

David Kearns, the head of the local OSHA office, said in February that he expected they would need most of the six months to prepare citations for any violations, if needed.

Meridian-based construction company Big D Builders was fined in 2022 and 2023 for violations of OSHA regulations related to employee fall hazards. There have also been previous violations for the use of ladders.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction sites, especially those involving steel structures, are among the most dangerous workplaces in the United States.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.