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Airline Crash & Aviation Lawyer
How Do Airline
Crashes Occur?
There are many different factors surrounding an airline crash
that may have contributed to the accident. The
NTSB was formed to investigate major airline crashes
in order to analyze the factual information and determine
from this a probable cause. In the majority of major airline
crashes, there were certain factors that most often contributed
to the cause of the accident, including:
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Pilot Errors |
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Faulty Equipment |
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FAA Regulation
Violations |
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Problems in the
Design or Structure
of the Aircraft |
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Flight Service Station
Employee Negligence |
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Federal Air Traffic
Controller Negligence |
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Negligence in a Third
Party Selection of a Carrier |
80% of plane crashes are not
fatal but end up with death due to passengers not knowing
the proper course of action to take.
An average of one time every
day there is a safety-related accident, incident,
or threat reported in the U.S., with the majority of incidents
going unreported.
Aviation
law includes federal and state governments that
enact statues and create administrative agencies to regulation
air traffic.
The press usually
covers only major accidents that result in total and absolute
fatalities.
The Federal
Aviation Agency was established in 1958 with the passing of
the Federal Aviation Act. |
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AA Plane Crash That Killed
all 260 Passengers and Crew Still Being Investigated
November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587 airplane crash
killed all 260 passengers and crew on the plane and five people
on the ground in Belle Harbor, NY. The airplane crash was devastating,
crashing after the tail fine broke off. Investigators are still
trying to determine the cause of the tail fin breaking off.
The NTSB has stated that it is consulting experts to determine
whether or not the pilot improperly used the rudder or if it was
caused by a mechanical problem. The airplane crash is believed to
be the response of a series of sharp rudder movements that caused
the airplane’s tailfin to separate.
The airplane crash investigation has resulted in closer scrutiny
of other American Airline tail fins. After cracks were found in
a tail fin of another American Airlines airplane and it was replaced,
the government ordered inspections of Airbus A300-600 and Airbus
A310 planes experiencing dramatic side-to-side movements similar
to the 2001 airplane crash. Read
Full Article....
"Aviation Charter to Pay $25 Million Settlement for
Wellstone Airline Crash"
Family members of the late Senator Paul Wellstone and the five other
passengers killed in an airline crash last October have agreed to
a $25 million insurance settlement with the company that operated
the flight.
The settlement will prevent a lawsuit by the families against Aviation
Charter Incorporated, although the National Transportation Safety
Board has not yet determined the cause of the crash. Preliminary
reports released this spring by the NTSB suggest that pilot error
occurred.
Roberta Walburn, who represented the families of the six passengers,
confirmed a report that her investigation determined that pilot
error caused the twin-engine plane to crash on its approach to Eveleth-Virginia
Municipal Airport. The plane was enroute to a funeral that Wellstone
planned to attend. Read Full Article...
"Airline Crashes with Two Pilots
on Board"
A commuter plane has crashed in Hyannis Harbor off of Cape Cod,
leaving the outcome of the two pilots on board a mystery. The Colgan
Air Beechcraft 1900 that the crew members were flying crashed just
three miles short of the Hyannis Airport runway.
Initial reports indicated there were passengers on board, but the
plane was not in a scheduled flight when the airline crash occurred.
The pilot had declared an emergency shortly following takeoff and
was trying to return to Hyannis to land when the crash took place.
The airplane was supposed to be heading to Albany, N.Y. Read
Full Article.....
"Larger Americans Increases
Airline Safety Concerns" After the US Airways
Express Flight 5481 crash in January 2002 that killed all 21 people
aboard, investigators have been looking at an airplane mechanical
problem as well as airplane weight issues as possible contributors
to the aviation crash. The FAA had ordered 15 airlines to check
passenger weight following the airplane crash and found that passenger
and baggage weight surpassed estimates currently in place.
The airplane crash weight estimation was believed to be within
100 pounds of the maximum takeoff weight. Due to the average American
weight increasing every year, many believe airplane weight estimates
that exist since its’ 1995 creation is far too low. Especially
in smaller airplanes, weight requirements can be crucial to the
safety of the airplane passengers.
In response to the FAA airplane crash survey regarding weight,
some airlines have changed weight estimates to reflect more current
size standards. The FAA has proposed different weight requirements
for airplane passengers, which has been opposed by regional airlines
because weight estimate increases can result in seat eliminations
that can hurt sales.
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The
NTSB investigates all U.S. aviation accident as an independent
Federal agency charged by Congress. Investigating over 110,000 aviation
accidents since its 1967 inception, the NTSB is on call 24 hours
a day every day of the year to investigate significant aviation
accidents. The NTSB issues aviation safety
recommendations they think will reduce the risk of future aviation
accidents from occurring, and most of the aviation safety features
that have been incorporated in today's aircrafts had started as
an NTSB recommendation.
The NTSB allows full industry participation in their aviation investigations,
addresses real world problems, issues safety
recommendations rather than regulations, and distributes their
reports and findings to a large audience. In addition, the NTSB
serves as the "court of appeals" for any airman or mechanic
whenever the FAA takes certificate action or when the FAA assesses
civil penalties. The FAA has an annual cost of less than 23 cents
a citizen, but is considered one of the world's premier accident
investigation accidents.
Read
more about the NTSB . . .

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Aviation
law is inclusive of federal and state governments that enact
statutes and create administrative agencies to regulate air traffic.
The Federal Aviation Administration exists to enforce aviation laws
and regulations using administrative action, reexamination, certification
action, civil penalty, and criminal penalty. To learn more about
aviation law contact us to speak with an aviation lawyer.
Read
More . . .
In the U.S. over a one-month period in 2000, reports compiled by
a computer search performed on 2,300 publications worldwide, the
Associated Press wire, and aviation databases found there was at
least one safety-related accident, incident,
or threat reported, 20 out of 35 emergency landings worldwide were
made by U.S. airlines, and most airline incidents went unreported.
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Propeller Blade
January 12, 2002, a Hamilton Sundstrand 568E propeller blade separated
adjacent to the propeller hub on the right engine of an Anions de
Transport Regional airplane. Shortly after takeoff the pilots felt
high vibrations in the airplane as the right engines low oil
pressure warning light illuminated. The fuel lever jammed when the
pilots tried to show down the engine and they had to emergency land,
leaving minor damage to the airplane.
In-Flight Fires
November 29, 2000, an American Airlines operated DC-9-82 was struck
by lightning and had an in-flight fire that forced an emergency landing
and evacuation, leaving minor damages
Omission in Pilot Training
November 12, 2001, an American Airlines flight was destroyed after
crashing into a residential area following takeoff. Prior to the impact,
the vertical stabilizer and rudder separated from the fuselage, leaving
the 2 pilots, 7 flight attendants, 251 passengers, and 5 people on
the ground dead. |
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