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
Two months ago, Scene Systems — a litigation support firm — released its animation of Flight 1549’s crash into the Hudson. I posted here that, in all likelihood, the animation would not be admissible in court. The legal objection would be that the animation “lacked foundation.” For example, without information from the Airbus’ black boxes
The pilot’s original destination was Bozeman, Montana. But the pilot amended his flight plan and diverted to Butte. The pilot did not tell air traffic control why he was diverting. About 25 minutes later, as the aircraft approached for landing at Butte, it went out of control and crashed.
The NTSB is now investigating two things: (1) why the pilot diverted to Butte, especially when he was so close to Bozeman, and (2) why the pilot lost control and crashed so near the runway at Butte.
Some possible explanations for diverting include:Continue Reading Pilatus Crash at Butte Montana and Occam’s Razor
Tim Vasquez is a meteorologist with Weather Graphics in Oklahomoa. He has plotted Flight 447’s flight path against GOES-10 satellite and other weather data. Vaquez’ work suggests Flight 447 penetrated two thunderstorm cells.
The image below, according to Vasquez, is similar to what the Flight 447 crew would have seen on its weather radar screen, assuming
Are the passengers’ families entitled to compensation for their loss? From whom? Does it matter what caused the crash? Can the families sue in the United States?
Air France is Responsible Regardless of the Cause of the Accident.
The Montreal Convention requires Air France to compensate the families as long as the crash was
Did the Pilots Attempt to Fly Through a Thunderstorm Intentionally? That’s very unlikely. Pilots avoid thunderstorms at all costs, because they know a thunderstorm can destroy any aircraft. Pilots use the aircraft’s on-board weather radar system to make sure they keep a safe distance. During the day, they can see the towering thunderstorms rising up to 50,000 feet and avoid them that way as well.
Did Lightning Destroy the Aircraft? Probably not. Lightning strikes are common. On average, each airplane is the US commercial fleet is stuck by lightning once per year. To protect against strikes, airliners are designed to route the electrical charge along the aircraft’s outer skin from one end ofContinue Reading Air France Flight 447: Lightning, Thunderstorms, and the Airbus
What does the aviation accident lawyer need to prove in order to win a "design defect" lawsuit against the manufacturer of the aircraft that injured his client?
It varies from state to state. But it’s never enough simply to prove that the aircraft‘s design caused the accident or injury. The victim’s lawyer always has to
The General Rule
Mechanics are required by regulation to follow the instructions set forth in the manufacturer’s maintenance manuals when working on an aircraft. The mechanic is not allowed to deviate from the instructions covering the work he undertakes. If he does deviate, and someone is injured as a result, the mechanic is liable.
Service Bulletins
Sometimes, a manufacturer learns of a problem with the way its product is performing in the field.Continue Reading A Mechanic’s Liability for Failure to Comply with a Manufacturer’s Maintenance Instructions
I blogged here on whether it was icing that caused the crash of Flight 3407, or whether the pilot simply pulled back on the yoke when he should have pushed forward. The NTSB’s animation, using data gathered from the aircraft’s black boxes, makes a strong case for the latter.
The video is 2