The FAA is supposed to use its regulatory powers to promote aviation safety. Over the years, however, it seems to have become too bureaucratic and conflicted to take decisive action when it counts most. Examples:
Air traffic controllers work within the guidelines set forth in the Controller’s Handbook (pdf), which they often call "the Bible." The Handbook is hundreds of pages long, and controllers must follow it to the letter. If they deviate and an accident results, the Federal Tort Claims Act permits the victim to sue the FAA for negligence.
Sometimes
The G36 Bonanza’s closest competitor is probably the Cirrus SR22. Would the outcome of this accident have been different had the Beechcraft been equipped with a ballistic parachute system, like the system installed in the Cirrus, depicted here? Probably not. For the Cirrus’ ballistic parachute to work, the plane needs at least 400 feet of altitude.
Bonanza N618MW, a Beechcraft like the one pictured below, was doing "touch & goes" at Jack Northrop field in Hawthorne. "Touch and goes" are practice landings where the pilot does not stop on the runway. Instead, after the wheels touch down, the pilot advances the throttle, takes off again, and then circles around for another landing. Everything appeared to be fine until, on one ofContinue Reading Beechcraft G36 Bonanza Crash At Hawthorne
Special rules protect careless health care providers in California. The rules, collectively known as MICRA, were designed to make it harder for medical malpractice victims to sue the doctors who injure them. For example,
Mackinac Island, Michigan, located in Lake Huron, is 8.2 miles around. The only way onto the island is by boat or, better yet, general aviation aircraft. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the island. Everyone gets around by horse-drawn carriage or bicycle. It was a great venue for the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association’s 50th Anniversary Meeting on
The Yemenia Air flight that crashed near Moroni wasn’t built in the United States. It had no Americans on board, and no part of the flight was through U.S. airspace. The aircraft, however, was leased to Yemenia Air by a Los Angeles company, International Lease Finance Corporation, or “ILFC.” Could the Yemenia Air families successfully
What must an aviation attorney prove to win a negligence lawsuit against someone who he believes responsible for the accident that injured his client? Two things. First, the aviation attorney must prove that the entity was "negligent." Second, the attorney must prove that the defendant’s negligence was a "cause" of the accident or of the injury.
Negligence Defined. Someone
During the Vietnam war, hundreds of soldiers suffered serious burn injuries following otherwise survivable Huey helicopter crashes. In 1970, Bell Helicopter responded by developing a crashworthy 
fuel system and installing it in the new Hueys it produced. The crashworthy system included stronger fuel cells, breakaway fuel lines, and cutoff valves.
The Army kept track of the
Clients often ask: "Shouldn’t we wait for the National Transportation Safety Board to finish its report before deciding whether to bring a lawsuit?" Sometimes, that makes sense. But most of the time, waiting is not in the client’s best interests. Here are four reasons not to wait:
1. The NTSB’s Findings are Seldom Unbiased. The NTSB