The lawsuit seeks at least $75,000 in damages for Julie Friedmann, whose 48-year-old husband, Allen, had just ended a family vacation when he boarded the Mexico-to-San Francisco flight.

It contends the pilot did not take all necessary steps to make an emergency landing after detecting a mechanical problem and instead was "troubleshooting in the air."

The suit also names Boeing Co. and McDonnell Douglas Corp., which manufactured the parts that have been at the center of the federal investigation of the crash.

On Sunday, National Transportation Safety Board officials said a tail assembly part on the jet was identified as needing replacement in September 1997, but the airline later decided it was good enough to keep in use.

Before the crash, the crew radioed to ground mechanics that it was having problems with the horizontal stabilizer, which points the plane’s nose up and down, authorities say.

When divers recovered the rotating screw that moves the stabilizer, the screw was partially stripped, authorities said.

Investigators have not said whether they believe the stripped screw was a cause or a result of the crash.

After vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Julie Friedmann, 41, and her 4-year-old son, Jonah, returned to Round Lake Beach, while Allen Friedman boarded Flight 261 on Jan. 31 to start building a new life for his family in San Francisco.

The avid runner, who had a degree in social advocacy, had taken a job with the California Bankers Association. Julie and Jonah Friedmann were scheduled to join him in a few months.

"The family was ultimately destined to be reunited in California, but that was not meant to be. It’s sad," said Julie Friedmann’s attorney, Robert Clifford.

Clifford said he filed the suit in federal court because the flight was an international one.

Neighbors described Friedmann as a friendly man with a penchant for music and cooking.