PHOENIX -- The parents of Phoenix Suns basketball player Nick Vanos, who was killed in a Northwest Airlines crash in August, have filed a $13.8 million suit accusing the airline of gross negligence.
Peter and Josie Vanos of San Mateo, Calif., filed the suit Wednesday in U.S. district court.
Vanos, 24, was among 156 people killed Aug. 16 when Northwest Flight 255 crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
The suit said the crash ended Vanos' prospects of a 'very promising' career in the NBA, that he had 'unique physical gifts' that made it likely he could have earned a salary equal 'to the established stars of the National Basketball Association.'
The suit also said that Vanos had prospects of earning significant income from product endorsements and other opportunities in his role as a professional basketball player.
Vanos, a 7-foot-2 center, was a starter for the Suns late last season, his second in the NBA. Team officials said he was coming into his own after a knee injury kept him out most of his rookie season.
Vanos and his girlfriend, Carolyn Cohen, were returning to Phoenix from a visit with her parents in Michigan when Flight 255 crashed.
The suit alleged pilots of the jet had disconnected a circuit breaker, ignored a preflight checklist and operated the plane 'contrary to and in violation of safe operating procedures.'
