A New York man has filed a negligence lawsuit against Southwest Airlines after suffering injuries from a crash landing that happened in 2013 at LaGuardia Airport, when the Boeing 737 plane’s nose collided with the runway due to pilot error.
Kenneth Kochman, a 57-year-old chiropractor, was aboard the plane as a passenger when pilot error led to the botched landing that injured seven others.
While his injuries were not deemed very serious at the time, the hard landing required Kochman to eventually undergo back surgery, said his attorney.
A report by the National Travel and Safety Board states that the pilots of the plane switched control of the vehicle as it was quickly approaching the runway, just over two dozen feet from the ground.
The captain noticed that the plane’s wing flaps were not at the right angle when they were preparing to land, and rather than abort the landing, she took control from her co-pilot within seconds of the plane touching down.
The lawsuit claims that the pilots acted negligently in not opting for a second go around to the runway so that they could land the plane safely.
The report by NTSB states that “accident data suggest that pilots often fail to perform a go-around or missed approach when stabilized approach criteria are not met”.
Southwest has yet to make a statement regarding Kochman’s lawsuit, but the captain of the plane responsible for the crash was fired shortly after accident.
Kochman is seeking unspecified damages.
A New York man has filed a negligence lawsuit against Southwest Airlines after suffering injuries from a crash landing that happened in 2013 at LaGuardia Airport, when the Boeing 737 plane’s nose collided with the runway due to pilot error.
Kenneth Kochman, a 57-year-old chiropractor, was aboard the plane as a passenger when pilot error led to the botched landing that injured seven others.
While his injuries were not deemed very serious at the time, the hard landing required Kochman to eventually undergo back surgery, said his attorney.
A report by the National Travel and Safety Board states that the pilots of the plane switched control of the vehicle as it was quickly approaching the runway, just over two dozen feet from the ground.
The captain noticed that the plane’s wing flaps were not at the right angle when they were preparing to land, and rather than abort the landing, she took control from her co-pilot within seconds of the plane touching down.
The lawsuit claims that the pilots acted negligently in not opting for a second go around to the runway so that they could land the plane safely.
The report by NTSB states that “accident data suggest that pilots often fail to perform a go-around or missed approach when stabilized approach criteria are not met”.
Southwest has yet to make a statement regarding Kochman’s lawsuit, but the captain of the plane responsible for the crash was fired shortly after accident.
Kochman is seeking unspecified damages.
