AVIATION
ACCIDENT
LAWYERS

Aviation Accident Lawyer

If you are looking for the most dedicated aviation accident lawyer in California, you have found the right firm. At Injury Law Group, our lawyers aggressively pursue investigation of an aviation accident to determine the causes of the crash so that we can build the strongest possible case and obtain just compensation for your family. Our attorneys are experts in proving aviation accident matters, including those involving commercial airlines, private jet charters, single engine aircraft, and helicopter charters. We are committed to helping you and your family recover from the physical and emotional trauma of an aviation accident. Our attorneys will protect your family’s legal rights and obtain justice for your family, holding negligent parties accountable for your loss. A California airplane crash lawyer at Injury Law Group will work closely with your family to build a strong case and maximize your financial recovery for pain and suffering and loss of support and companionship.

Investigation After a Crash

After a plane crash, investigation is critical. Your attorneys need to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding the crash to determine the causes and persons responsible. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will typically be the first government agency involved after a crash since they are notified either by law enforcement or due to a missing aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will examine the accident site and investigate the cause of an airplane crash and issue an aviation accident preliminary report usually in a matter of weeks. Once its investigation is complete, the NTSB will issue a factual report, followed shortly thereafter by its final report. Many attorneys will simply wait for the NTSB to complete its investigation and rely exclusively on the results of the NTSB final report to prove their clients injury claim or wrongful death matter. But a dedicated attorney will perform an independent investigation and have its own experts perform an independent analysis to confirm the accuracy of the NTSB final report and to potentially discover additional evidence to help prove wrongful conduct or neglect on the part of pilots, mechanics, airplane parts manufacturers, or aircraft maintenance crews. Investigation by special investigators can include independent analysis of the NTSB final report, examination of documents and other factual evidence relied upon by the NTSB and referenced in its final report, interviewing witnesses, examination of the cockpit voice recorder, and study and analysis of other key details and important facts.

Determining the Cause of a Plane Crash

In most cases, the very fact that a plane has crashed leads to the inference that there was some negligence on somebody’s part or a defective design existed on the airplane. Plane crashes don’t just happen. Airplanes are built and tested to endure tough weather conditions. When there is a crash, it usually means somebody was negligent. Determining the cause of a plane crash is the first step in determining the strength of your overall case. A thorough investigation by your attorney can potentially uncover additional parties that can be held accountable for your loss. For example, negligent maintenance, or a defectively manufactured part, could present additional defendants.

Pilot Mistake

Despite the rigorous training undergone by pilots, the most common cause of plane crashes is pilot mistake. Pilots are also held to a high standard or care. They are held to the standard of a very careful pilot flying a plane, which means being extremely cautious and painstakingly paying attention to all flight procedures. Essentially, this means doing everything correctly. Airplane pilots cannot afford to make mistakes. If mistakes happen, an airplane can go down, causing mass casualties. When a pilot fails to adhere to the high standard of pilot prudence, such as ignoring a warning light or signal or overlooking an item on the flight checklist, then the cause of the plane crash can usually be attributed to pilot negligence. If the airplane disaster that has had a devastating effect on your life was caused by pilot negligence, your airplane accident lawyer at Injury Law Group will build a strong case of pilot negligence, which will help you obtain the maximum monetary compensation available under airplane accident law.

Negligent Maintenance

Poor airplane maintenance, or negligent maintenance, is an all-too-common problem in the airline industry. As airline companies struggle to stay in business, they cut costs and often cut corners on airplane maintenance. Also common is that instead of performing their own maintenance (to ensure that lives are saved), airlines companies may contract out the maintenance work to companies that may use inexperienced or potentially unqualified airplane mechanics. Airlines, airplane mechanics, and contract maintenance crews, are all held to a very high standard of care. They must perform all needed maintenance and cannot cut corners, as doing so can place lives in jeopardy. If an airplane mechanic lets an airplane leave the hanger without performing proper maintenance, the airplane can crash, resulting in everyone on board being killed or seriously injured or burned. An experienced California plane crash lawyer will be able to determine if the cause of the accident was negligent maintenance, so that the right parties can be held accountable.

Defectively Manufactured Parts or Defective Design

Airplane parts must past strict testing to ensure that they are not defective and will not fail in mid flight. Even if parts pass initial testing, defectively manufactured parts, or defectively designed parts, may fail years later. When that happens, the results can be catastrophic. A single defectively designed or defectively manufactured part can cause an airplane to crash and cause hundreds of deaths. After a crash, an expert California airplane crash lawyer can perform conduct investigations to determine whether the cause of the accident was a defectively manufactured or defectively designed part.

Bad Weather

Bad weather, by itself, usually is not the cause of an airplane crash. Bad weather is predictable, meaning that pilots have access to plenty of information regarding when and where bad weather is going to occur. So pilots can easily navigate around bad weather, or decide not to fly into it. If an airplane goes down due to bad weather, then it is usually an indication that somebody, either the pilot, air traffic controller, or airline, was negligent in allowing the flight to take off or continue in a given flight path leading directly into bad weather.

FAA Rules and Regulations

Failure to follow FAA regulations and safety rules points to negligence on the part of the pilot, air traffic controller, or other parties who violated FAA rules and regulations. After a plane crash, the NTSB will determine whether any FAA rules or regulations were violated. Even if the FAA does not find a violation, a good plane crash attorney will perform an independent investigation that may lead to discovery of an FAA regulation violation. This type of dedication, among other detailed investigative procedures, demonstrates our level of commitment to protecting your legal rights and gives you the assurance that you are retaining the best possible lawyer to protect your family’s rights.