A judge has ordered family members of 49 victims killed in a 2006 Kentucky plane crash to meet separately with Comair officials to discuss a settlement.

The move is a last-ditch effort to avoid a civil trial in which families are suing Comair for damages. However, with dozens of cases still outstanding, it's likely the trial will start Aug. 4 as planned.

Lawyers in the case appeared before the judge Thursday morning for a status conference.

They also discussed whether any punitive damage verdicts in the first three Comair cases should apply to subsequent ones.

If not, the judge warned the trials could go on for years.

The Comair pilots tried to take off from a too-short runway at the Lexington airport in August 2006.

The jet collided with a fence and trees before crashing, killing everybody on board except the first officer.