An FBO is not supposed to rent an aircraft to a pilot who the FBO knows isn’t competent to complete the planned flight safely. If it does, and a passenger is hurt or killed by the pilot’s mistake, the victim or his family can hold the FBO responsible. That’s the law of "negligent 
entrustment."
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The American Association for Justice’s Annual Convention begins today at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The program for aviation lawyers will be held on Monday, July 12. The schedule: 
8:30 – 11:45, Room 215-216:
Speakers will be
Mike Danko – Aviation Litigation Forecast
Ricardo Martinez-Cid – International Commercial Airplane Crashes
Ladd Sanger – Aviation Deposition and Trial Skills
When Cory Lidle’s widow sued Cirrus Design, it caused a bit of an uproar in the aviation community. Her suit alleges that it was a defect in the aircraft’s flight controls that caused the Cirrus SR-20 to slam into a Manhattan hi-rise. That claim led many to call the suit frivolous. After all, the NTSB determined the accident was caused by pilot error, plain and simple. Right?
Cirrus asked the federal judge who is hearing the case to toss it out as being based on "junk science." Cirrus argued that under legal precedent known as Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the judge must act as a "gatekeeper." That means she must review the expertContinue Reading Lidle v. Cirrus: Claim Not “Junk Science”
Many airports in the western United States are located at altitude. In the thin air, a departing aircraft’s propeller and wings are less aerodynamically efficient. And without a turbocharger, the aircraft’s engine won’t be able to produce full power. All of that hurts the aircraft’s ability to climb. Unless the aircraft is handled properly, after lifting off the runway it may travel for a distanceContinue Reading Summer Means High Density Altitude Airplane Accidents