Confidential ValuJet Settlement

More than three years after ValuJet Flight 592 crashed into the Everglades, the airline and its former maintenance contractor have settled lawsuits blaming each other for the accident.

The airline, now renamed AirTran, and the now-defunct SabreTech announced Wednesday that they have reached a confidential out-of-court settlement of two lawsuits: one in which AirTran wanted SabreTech to be held responsible, and another in which SabreTech wanted AirTran found at fault.

"These were really just actions between the two companies and their insurers," SabreTech attorney Kenneth Quinn said this week.

Neither company admitted any fault or liability in the May 1996 accident. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Miami International Airport en route to Atlanta. All 110 passengers and crew on board were killed.

Investigators say mislabeled and improperly capped oxygen canisters delivered by SabreTech employees had been loaded on board. Investigators concluded the canisters led to an explosion and fire before the plane went down.

Under the settlement, AirTran received a cash payment. No other details, including the amount of the settlement, were made public.