Last Saturday an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport, resulting in at least 2 deaths and 182 other injured passengers.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the fatal accident happened late Saturday morning behind the airport’s international terminal.
The plane that crashed was first reported to be a cargo plane, but was later correctly identified as Asiana Flight 214 from Seoul, South Korea.
An Illinois man whose wife died in a tragic plane crash in Nigeria in early June brought a lawsuit in Federal Court in Chicago against Boeing Co. The suit naming Boeing, the Chicago based airplane manufacturer that bought the ill-fated plane’s manufacturer and engine maker, stated that the passenger plane experienced engine failure before it came down over the African nation in early June. The lawsuit points at least partial blame towards the companies that designed, manufactured and sold the aircraft.
According to the State Department, nine Americans were killed in the accident. A U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigator was sent to Africa to assist Nigerian officials in their investigation.
Attorney Joseph Klest has been representing injury victims for 30 years. If you or someone you know has been injured due to the fault of others dial 866-264-7639, to schedule a free consultation.
A Word War II-era plane crashed Friday afternoon during an air race in Reno, Nevada leaving ten people dead. Seven of those killed died at the scene and three others died later on at hospitals.
Local and federal authorities from the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. Officials have stated that although it is too soon to determine what caused the crash, some suspect it may have been due to mechanical problems.
Generally, the owner or operator of an airfield is responsible for maintenance and safety. Failure to properly execute that responsibility can lead to the owner’s liability.
A Chicago airplane crash killed two individuals today near the Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling, IL. The airplane accident occurred around 2 p.m. when a LearJet crashed into the Des Plaines River as it was making its approach into the airport. According to reports, the accident claimed the lives of both the pilot and co-pilot which were the only two individuals aboard the aircraft. The identities of those two individuals have not yet been released.
The airplane reportedly took off from Oakland County International Airport which is located approximately 35 miles northwest of Detroit around 1 p.m. eastern time. The aircraft was headed to Chicago to pick up cargo when the accident occurred. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has begun an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the aviation accident. The recovery effort has been suspended until early tomorrow morning.
If an airplane equipment malfunction or error contributed to the accident the victims’ families might have a wrongful death claim. When an airplane crash occurs it is very important that an investigation be performed as soon as possible so that potential evidence may be preserved. If you have any questions involving airplane accidents or would otherwise like to speak with an attorney, please call 847-969-9510.
A single-engine turboprop plane crashed while landing last Sunday in Butte, Montana, killing all seventeen on board the aircraft. According to reports, the aircraft departed Oroville, California, bound for a ski vacation in Bozeman, Montana. The aircraft, which was designed to carry 10 passengers, was carrying 7 adults and 7 children at the time of the crash. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus reports that the aircraft crashed into a cemetery about 500 feet from the airport in Butte while attempting to land. Authorities do not know the reason why the flight was diverted from Bozeman to Butte. The aircraft, a Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turbo prop, was reportedly manufactured in 2001 and registered to Eagle Cap Leasing Inc. in Enterprise Oregon.
Both overloading and icing have been speculated the cause of the plane crash. Overloading is a possible cause as the aircraft, which was licensed to carry ten, held fourteen passengers. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the total weight of fuel, passengers, and luggage on board the aircraft. The weather conditions at the time of the crash were indicative of those that may cause icing. Former NTSB chairman Jim Hall compared the crash to a 2005 disaster near Bellefonte, Pa., which also involved a Pilatus PC-12. In both instances, the weather conditions were conductive to icing at lower elevations. Turboprop planes, such as the Pilatus PC-12, rely on deicing boots to de-ice wings. These boots, which are strips of rubber-like material on the leading edge of the wings and the horizontal part of the tail, inflate and contract to break up ice on the wings. According to the NTSB, a key to the investigation of the accident will be whether the pilot changed the position of the aircraft’s wing flaps for landing as this often causes icing problems. The fatal plane crash closely follows the Buffalo plane crash last month which killed fifty. Icing has also been speculated to have caused that crash.
Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a home just north of Buffalo last night killing all 49 airline passengers and one person in the home. It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since 2006. Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish flames which reportedly reached up to 100 feet. The 74 seat airplane, operated by Colgan Air, was preparing to land at Buffalo Niagra International Airport en route from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. According to eyewitnesses, the whole sky lit up orange just prior to the aircraft diving directly into a house. One person inside the house was killed while two others were able to narrowly escape. Amy Kudwa, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said there was no indication of terrorism or foul play surrounding the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team of investigators to Buffalo early this morning. The task of retrieving and identifying victims is not yet underway as the area surrounding the plane crash is still smoldering.
The plane, a Bombadier Dash 8 Q-400 twin engine turboprop, was manufactured at Bombadier’s Toronto facility. Two airlines had stopped flying similar turboprop planes in icy climates due to the aircraft’s poor record in icy conditions. Both American Eagle and Comair halted cold weather use of the planes out of safety concerns. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane’s crew repoprted significant icy buildup on the wings just prior to the crash. At least two other pilots reported icy wings on their aircrafts. Additionally, use of the Dash 8 Q-400 planes was permanently halted by Scandinavian Airline Systems in the fall of 2007 after three crashes occurred within a seven week period. A preliminary report from one of those accidents indicated that the Q-400 crash landed after a piece of rubber was stuck in the landing gear. If a manufacturing defect contributed to the plane crash, Bombadier may be liable for the devastating airplpane accident. Colgan Air’s accident response team is working to confirm the identities of those on the aircraft.
A Cook County wrongful death lawsuit has been filed following a tragic helicopter accident that left four dead. The accident occurred on October 15, 2008, when an Air Angel medical helicopter struck a radio tower cable in Aurora, IL. The helicopter was carrying 14 month-old Kristin Blockinger of Leland, IL, from Valley West Hospital in Sandwich, IL, to Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL. Also aboard the aircraft were Air Angels crew members Ron Battalo and William Mann. All three passengers were killed in the accident along with 69 year-old pilot Del Waugh. The suit names Waugh as a defendant claiming that the accident was a result of negligent and careless operation by the pilot. More specifically, the suit alleges that Waugh’s advanced age, multiple in-flight responsibilities, and recent divorce related stress contributed to the fatal aviation crash.
The suit also named Air Angels and parent company Reach Medical as defendants claiming that the entities failed to follow federal recommendations for medical helicopter flights. The suit alleges that the flight was not equipped with a terrain warning and awareness system, a risk assessment program, or a two pilot team at the controls. The plaintiffs argue that each of these provisions would have helped prevent the tragic crash. The West Chicago and Bolingbrook based Air Angels recently ceased operations for two months while it conducted its own investigation. The outfit has since resumed operation finding nothing to prevent the resumption of service. A preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board “NTSB” offers no immediate explanation for the cause of the crash. The NTSB hopes to conclude its investigation of the incident in time for a February hearing on medical helicopter safety.
Liability in an airplane crash can be very difficult to prove. The airplane’s black box may be missing and body parts might never be found. If a person is lucky enough to survive a plane accident, the injuries are frequently catastrophic. When death is a certainty for everyone on board-such as during large commercial plane crashes-the pain and suffering and loss can affect hundreds of passenger, crew members, and the many loved ones that are left behind.
It is important to immediately preserve any remaining evidence from a plane crash. You should also hire an experienced airplane accident attorney that knows how to properly investigate plane accidents and determine liability.
Chicago Attorney Joseph Klest has successfully represented injury victims and surviving family members of persons killed in aviation accidents involving helicopters, charter planes, private planes, and commercial airplanes. He also has worked with injury victims who were injured in airport terminals or on airfields as passengers, visitors, airline workers, or airport employees at Chicago O’Hare Airport and Chicago Midway Airport in Illinois.
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