Washington ( CNN ) -- A Nigerian man whose wife was among 153 people killed Sunday when an MD-83 aircraft crashed in Lagos , Nigeria , has filed suit against the manufacturer of the plane and its engines , and against the estate of the American who was piloting the aircraft . In a 56-page lawsuit , David Chukwunonso Allison alleges that the plane and its engines were defective and `` unreasonably dangerous , '' leading to the death of his wife of two years , Joy Allison . The lawsuit , filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois , names the Boeing Co. and its subsidiary , McDonnell Douglas Corp. , as well as engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. and United Technologies Corp . It also names the estate of Peter Waxtan of Fort Lauderdale , Florida , the pilot of the plane . Dana Air Flight 992 slammed into a two-story apartment building in Lagos ' Iju-Ishaga district , killing all 153 people on board and at least 10 people on the ground . Nine Americans were among those killed , the U.S. State Department said . At a news conference Thursday in Lagos , Dana Air CEO Jacky Hathiramani said , `` There are absolutely no words to accurately express our grief and sorrow over this tragedy . Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends of the departed , the Iju-Ishaga community and all Nigerians in this difficult time . We will continue to do our best to assist them in every way possible . '' Pratt & Whitney said it would n't comment amid an ongoing investigation but `` is cooperating fully with investigating authorities . '' `` We are deeply saddened by the lives lost in the recent Dana Airlines incident . Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all those involved in this incident , '' the company said in a statement . See also : Nigerians demand answers after crash . On the plane 's final approach to Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Sunday , Waxtan issued a mayday call , saying the plane 's two engines had failed . A National Transportation Safety Board investigator is assisting Nigerian officials to determine the cause of the crash . Such investigations typically take about a year . While acknowledging that it is not yet known if the pilot , the aircraft , or some other factor was to blame , Allison 's attorney Gary Robb said it was essential to file suit early so he could seek to have his investigators -- which include a former NTSB investigator -- inspect wreckage at the scene , and to place the case at the beginning of the lawsuits . Cases are heard in the order they are filed , Robb said , and David Allison `` did n't want to be No.153 ; he wanted to be No.1 , '' Robb said . `` Ultimately , it may turn out that the pilot did everything possible and was not at fault . But these are things that the court system is charged with finding out , '' Robb said . `` What we do know with absolute certainty is that Joy Allison , David 's wife , was not a fault . '' The suit seeks unspecified damages and requests a jury trial . Robb said Joy Allison worked for the Federal Express licensed office in Lagos , and her husband was with the Nigerian Brewing Co. , which distributes Heineken beer products . They had a 1-year-old daughter . Inquiries by CNN to Boeing for comment were not immediately returned . CNN 's Vladimir Duthiers contributed to this report .
NEW : Pratt & Whitney says it 's ` ` involved fully with investigating . '' David and David 's wife , Joy , died in the plane crash Sunday in Nigeria . His family alleges the plane and its engines were defective . Before the crash , the company had issued a statement saying both engines had failed .