An American plane manufacturer is to be sued by the Irish relatives of the victims of a horror smash in Cork two years ago.

Four passengers and the pilot and co-pilot died when a twin turbo prop Fairchild Metroliner crash-landed in thick fog.

The plane, operated by the Manx 2 airline, crashed on its third attempt when it flipped over.

Now the families of the four Irish victims are to sue the American company for millions of dollars in compensation.

Six passengers who survived the horror crash may also sue according to a report in the Irish Sun.

A lawsuit on behalf of the families has been lodged in Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois.

The deceased are named in the document as Patrick Cullinane, Richard Noble, Michael Evans and Brendan McAleese, a cousin of the husband of former Irish President Mary McAleese.

The report says that the families are suing M7 Aerospace, the plane’s manufacturer, and Honeywell International and Woodward Governor Company, the makers of sub-components for the plane.

The lawsuit claims: “The aircraft contained conditions which rendered it defective and not reasonably safe.”

A full safety report into the fatal Cork crash will be published in 2013.