An air traffic controller (“ATC”) holds one of the most important and stressful jobs in existence – one mistake could result in the violent death of hundreds of people. Settled legal standards apply to protect people who are injured by ATC negligence and people who are harmed by the death of another person that was […]
Tricky Legal Issues in Product Liability Lawsuit against Aircraft Manufacturers
When someone is injured or killed in a plane crash, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) usually attributes the cause to “pilot error”. In some cases, however, the cause of the accident can be traced to a manufacturing defect in the aircraft itself. In these cases, under certain circumstances the manufacturer of the aircraft or a […]
Third Circuit Narrows Federal Preemption for Aircraft Product Liability Cases
By David Carnes, Staff Writer Federal courts have consistently held that federal law preempts the entire field of “aviation safety”. This means, in effect, that you cannot file a lawsuit based on a state aircraft safety statute. Instead, litigants are expected to file their claims based on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations or other applicable […]
Egypt Air MS181 Hijacking Highlights Passenger Vulnerability
Although the recent hijacking of EgyptAir Flight MS181 to Cyprus by a man wearing a fake explosive belt ended peacefully with no injuries, previous hijack victims have not always been so lucky. Surviving victims of hijackings and other lapses of airline security can file lawsuits seeking compensation for their losses. Even if they don’t survive, […]
Ambulance Helicopter Crashes in Alabama
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a helicopter accident that killed four people in Alabama this past weekend. The ambulance helicopter crashed early Saturday morning in Goodman while attempting to respond to an unrelated accident. The victims in the crash were pilot Chad Hammond, nurse Stacey Cernadas, medic Jason Snipes, and patient Zach Strickland, […]