Commercial Airline Accidents

Commercial Airline Accident Lawyers

Commercial airlines fortunately have very good safety records and are regarded as one of the safest forms of transportation. But accidents do happen. And when they do, count on the commercial airline accident attorneys at Nurenberg Paris to be thorough and aggressive in our representation of your claim.

Landmark Decision: Alaska Airlines Flight 261

Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was scheduled to fly on Jan. 31, 2000, from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Seattle with a planned intermediate stop in San Francisco. Off the California coast, the crew fought to keep the nose of the plane from pitching down. At about 4:20 p.m., the pitch of the plane changed from 2.7 degrees to 70 degrees in less than 15 seconds, and within about a minute the plane hit the water. All 88 people—five crew and 83 passengers—were killed and the plane was destroyed.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was "a loss of airplane pitch control resulting from the in-flight failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew assembly’s acme nut threads. The thread failure was caused by excessive wear resulting from Alaska Airlines’ insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly."

The NTSB report added that Alaska Airlines’ extended lubrication interval and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approval of that extension, contributed to the accident as did the absence on the McDonnell Douglas plane of a fail-safe mechanism to prevent the catastrophic effects of total acme nut thread loss.

Jamie R. Lebovitz and the team of Nurenberg Paris commercial airline accident lawyers represented 18 families and was a member of the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee in charge of handling the litigation for all families. Our clients were awarded more than $300 million.

ValuJet Flight 592

On May 11, 1996,ValuJet Flight 592 was approximately 100 miles west of Miami International Airport when the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit. The airplane crashed into the Everglades about 10 minutes after takeoff from Miami International Airport. All 110 people aboard the airplane were killed.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined a fire in the airplane’s class D cargo compartment that was initiated by the actuation of one or more oxygen generators being improperly carried as cargo. The NTSB went on to say probable causes of the accident "were 1) the failure of SabreTech to properly prepare, package, and identify unexpended chemical oxygen generators before presenting them to ValuJet for carriage; 2) the failure of ValuJet to properly oversee its contract maintenance program to ensure compliance with maintenance, maintenance training, and hazardous materials requirements and practices; and 3) the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to require smoke detection and fire suppression systems in class D cargo compartments."

The NTSB also said that factors contributing to the accident were "the failure of the FAA to adequately monitor ValuJet’s heavy maintenance programs and responsibilities, including ValuJet’s oversight of its contractors, and SabreTech’s repair station certificate; the failure of the FAA to adequately respond to prior chemical oxygen generator fires with programs to address the potential hazards; and ValuJet’s failure to ensure that both ValuJet and contract maintenance facility employees were aware of the carrier's ‘no-carry’ hazardous materials policy and had received appropriate hazardous materials training."

Jamie R. Lebovitz and the commercial airline accident lawyers at Nurenberg Paris brought an aviation/wrongful death lawsuit for their plaintiff, who received $4.5 million in the case.

Boeing 747

The crash of a Boeing 747 passenger jet en route from Asia to the United States claimed more than 80 lives, among which was a prominent physician from the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area. Jamie R. Lebovitz and the aviation lawyers at Nurenberg Paris were dispatched to investigate and litigate this international air disaster. After several years of investigation and pretrial discovery, it was established that the Boeing 747 pilots attempted to depart on a runway that was closed for construction. As the aircraft sped down the runway, it struck construction barriers and equipment prior to bursting into flames.

A civil action was brought in the Federal District Court in Los Angeles, and Lebovitz was appointed by the court to the Steering Committee in charge of the litigation. Among the cases resolved was that of the physician for the sum of $5 million.

When you’ve been injured in an airplane accident, you want an aviation accident lawyer who gets results and knows how to protect your rights. With more than 80 years of experience, our aviation accident lawyers are confident in their ability to represent your case. Our aviation lawyers represent clients with handle claims resulting from small plane accidents, air ambulance accidents, airplane defects, commercial airline accidents, corporate airplane accidents, helicopter crashes, mid-air collisions, and military aircraft crashes.

Free Consultation

The Nurenberg Paris aviation accident attorneys are actively investigating cases involving commercial plane crashes. We have a long, successful history of winning cases against negligent aircraft component manufacturers and airline carriers including Mooney, Cessna, Continental, Alaska Airlines, and American Airlines. Contact us today for your free consultation regarding an aviation disaster involving you or a loved one.

General Aviation

In terms of accidents, general aviation has far more fatalities per flight hours than any other types of flying. According to NTSB Accidents and Accident Rates by NTSB Classification 1998-2007, there were 22.43 fatalities per million flight hours for general aviation flights. Compare that to 4.03 million during the same time period for commercial airlines. In 2008, the National Transportation Safety Board reported there were 1.25 fatal accidents and 7.11 total accidents per 100,000 flight hours.

A look at NTSB accident investigations reveals that general aviation accidents happen regularly around the country, sometimes three or four in a day.
Read more about general aviation

Air Ambulance Accidents

The number of air ambulance crashes has increased dramatically in recent years. In fact, a 2009 article in USA Today offered this lead: “Air-ambulance helicopters have the worst fatal crash record in aviation, and their crews are among the most likely to die on the job.”

The article went on to say that “The rate of fatalities per 100,000 air-ambulance employees over the past 10 years exceeds other dangerous professions such as logging or deep-sea fishing.” Since the article was published, even more air ambulances have crashed, resulting in additional serious injuries and loss of life.
Read more about air ambulance accidents

Aircraft Defects

Aviation accidents occur due to a large number of reasons, but aircraft defects consistently are to blame for crashes worldwide. Since the 1950s, at least 20 commercial airline flights per year have crashed due to mechanical failure, many caused specifically by defects in the aircraft, according to PlaneCrashInfo.com.

Aircraft defects—whether they occur in commercial airlines, private aircraft, small planes, jets, or helicopters—are responsible for a number of deaths and serious injuries each year. A recent report in the United Kingdom’s The Press and Journal stated that, "A fault which appears to affect only helicopters operating over the North Sea must now be checked before the first flight of each day following a fresh warning from Europe’s aviation body. In October, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued...
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Commercial Airline Accidents

Commercial airlines fortunately have very good safety records and are regarded as one of the safest forms of transportation. But accidents do happen.

Corporate Aircraft & Private Jet Accidents

In January, the Associated Press reported that, "A Brazilian appeals court has ruled two American executive jet pilots should face negligence charges for a 2006 midair collision that killed 154 people…The executive jet collided over the Amazon with a Boeing 737 on September 29, 2006—killing all aboard the Boeing. Prosecutors accused the pilots of accidentally turning off a transponder that transmitted the smaller jet’s location and failing to follow their flight plan."

In July 2008, a private jet crashed in Owatonna, Minnesota, killing all seven on board. Media reports said that, "According to the Owatonna Degner Regional Airport, the Raytheon Hawker 800 jet crashed off the end of the runway while attempting to land at about 9:30 a.m. local time."
Read more about corporate aircraft accidents

Helicopter, Sightseeing & Special Use Aircraft Accidents

On January 5, 2010, according to National Transportation Board reports, "a Bell 206B, N5016U, collided with power lines near Auberry, California. The helicopter was operated by the California Department of Fish and Game as a public-use, deer surveying flight. The certificated commercial pilot and three passengers were killed. The helicopter was destroyed by post crash fire."

Helicopters involved in tourism, sightseeing, or special uses such as the Fish and Game use as cited above, all have the potential for accidents.

On August 8, 2009, five tourists and the pilot were killed in a midair collision of a sightseeing helicopter and a single-engine plane over...
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Mid-air Collision

Fortunately, mid-air collisions are not particularly common. Unfortunately, on those occasions when it does happen, loss of life is common. On August 8, 2009, nine people were killed in a midair collision of a sightseeing helicopter and a single-engine plane over the Hudson River in New York. According to NTSB reports, “The certificated private pilot and two passengers aboard the airplane and the certificated commercial pilot and five passengers aboard the helicopter and were killed. … Radar data and witness statements indicate that the aircraft collided at 1,100 feet in the vicinity of Stevens Point."

In 2006, according to the Associated Press, “An executive jet failed to follow its flight plan when it collided with a commercial airliner in September, killing 154 people in Brazil's worst air disaster." The article went on to say, “In the September 29 crash...
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Military Aircraft Crash

"Midair collisions are an area of vital concern to everyone who flies an airplane," says the Luke Air Force Base (Arizona) Web site. "The actual number of midair's between Air Force aircraft and general aviation aircraft is relatively low; however, 80 percent of reported Air Force near misses occur with general aviation aircraft."

Crashes with other military aircraft are also a concern. In late October of 2009, according to a New York Times article, "Seven people were aboard the Coast Guard’s C-130 transport plane and two were in the Marine Corps’ AH-1 Cobra helicopter" when a crash occurred at 7:10 p.m. "They were flying 15 to 25 miles east of San Clemente Island, a narrow strip of land off the Southern California coast used by the Navy for training exercises."
Read more about military aircraft accidents

Recent Cases

Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was scheduled to fly on Jan. 31, 2000, from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Seattle with a planned intermediate stop in San Francisco. The last few minutes of the flight saw an epic battle transpire as the pilots tried to keep control of the plane, a McDonnell...

Latest Firm News

Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy (NPHM) has served the needs of catastrophically injured clients in Ohio since 1928, and for the last 20 years throughout the United States. The Cleveland law firm is known for its success in cases involving medical...

Victim Resources

The Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996 was passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton on Oct. 9, 1996. This Act gave the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) the additional responsibility of aiding the families of victims of aircraft accidents...

Investigations

Nurenberg Paris has represented families in several high-profile aviation cases over the last 80 years. With several highly successful aviation accident lawyers on staff and a thorough investigative team, we have experience that matters. Read the investigation reports and learn more...

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