Before the 1980s, aircraft mechanics worked with asbestos everyday. The material was used in nearly every engine component that was exposed to heat. Though asbestos has been banned from use in modern aircraft parts, some parts in circulation made before 1980 still contain asbestos. In an ideal world, mechanics would be able to know if […]
$115 Million Awarded for Deaths of Flight Crew Members in Afghanistan Cargo Plane Crash
A jury has awarded $115 million to the families of three crew members killed in a crash of a National Airlines Boeing 747-400 cargo plane in 2013. The crash took place within minutes of liftoff from an airfield in Bagram Afghanistan. The plane was overloaded and the cargo inadequately secured. Shifting cargo ultimately caused damage […]
Family of Pilots Who Died in Frederick Midair Crash Receive $17 million
In early April, a jury awarded $17 million to families of pilots killed in 2014 in a midair collision over Frederick, MD. The family sued the Midwest Air Traffic Control Services because, according to the families’ claims, the contractor, which operates the Frederick Municipal Airport tower, negligently caused the deaths of Christopher Parsons and William […]
USDOT Announces New Air Passenger Consumer Protection Rules
More than 700 million passengers board domestic airline flights every year in the U.S. Airlines, and 700 million passengers means big money. Human nature being the way it is, it is unsurprising that absent sufficient consumer protection regulations, airlines will find a way to fleece passengers through the use of sharp business practices. Part of […]
FAA to Loosen Medical Restrictions on Some Pilots
Three levels of medical certificates are required of various pilots – third class, second class and first class. Each involves a more thorough and invasive medical exam than the last, and each confers greater privileges on the pilots who hold it. Commercial airline pilots, for example, must hold first-class medical certificates, while pilots flying single-seat […]