Insight and Commentary on aviation accidents and the law
An Fixed-Base Operator will sometimes tell the pilot to whom it rents an aircraft that, in the event of an accident, the pilot may be held responsible for the FBO’s deductible. From that, pilots sometimes conclude that their liability will be limited to the amount of the deductible, and that everything else is "covered."
Not…
Some pilots believe that their insurance won’t cover them if it’s their own screw-up that causes an accident. They believe, for example, that if they inadvertently violate an FAA regulation, their policy will be "voided."
That’s seldom correct. The purpose of insurance coverage is to protect the pilot who makes a mistake, regardless…
An aviation insurance company must fairly compensate those injured due to the negligence of one of its policy holders. Of course, in most cases, the insurance company’s financial responsibility is limited to the dollar limits of the insurance policy.
But not always.
When an insurance company unreasonably forces an aviation accident victim to take his case to trial instead…
Accident victims or their families ask me this question a lot. Sadly, the answer is usually: "no."
Pilots: Most states require drivers on our highways to carry a minimum amount of liability insurance in case they injure someone. But pilots are regulated by the federal government, not the states. The federal government does not require pilots…