Power lines can be virtually invisible from the air. The trick to avoiding them is, paradoxically, not to try to find them. Instead, the pilot should look for the towers from which they are strung. Once the pilot has the towers in sight, he should choose one and fly directly over it, rather tha
n between them.
First Settlement in Bleed Air Fume Event Case
The air in an airliner’s cabin has been compressed by the aircraft’s engines. Most of the time, the air is safe to breathe. But if a leaky seal in the engine allows the air to first mix with heated engine oil, the cabin air can be contaminated with toxic fumes.
When a cabin fills with toxic chemicals from an
Prokop v. Cirrus Heads to Minnesota Supreme Court
A pilot crashed his new Cirrus, killing himself and his passenger. According to the families, Cirrus didn’t train the pilot on the use of the plane’s autopilot when he showed up at the factory to pick up his new aircraft, and that contributed to the crash. The details are here.
The jury agreed with the
Helicopter Crash Lawyers Bribe Judge, Settle Case, Get Sued
EMS helicopter crash cases aren’t easy. A lawyer representing a victim’s family ought to have experience in helicopter crash cases. If he doesn’t, he should bring into the case a lawyer who does. What he should not do, obviously, is make up for lack of experience by bribing the judge.
It’s shocking to think that a lawyer
Lidle Judge Keeps Evidence Out; Jury Rules for Cirrus
The lawyer representing Lidle’s widow told the Associated Press that today’s verdict for Cirrus was a foregone conclusion once the judge decided to keep out certain key evidence.
. . .the jury result was predictable because the judge refused to allow jurors to hear that the company revised its manufacturing process after the crash to
Surprise Witness at Lidle Trial
Cirrus says Cory Lidle crashed because he was inexperienced, not because his controls locked up. But a surprise witness testified that Lidle had flown the East River Corridor successfully four times in the two months before the crash. According to a NY Daily News account, the witness related that Lidle talked with her about his
NTSB: Maintenance-Induced Fuel Starvation Caused Cirrus Crash at Morton, Washington
We knew from the surviving passenger that the Cirrus’ engine quit before crashing at Morton, Washington. But did the engine quit because of a mechanical problem? Or did it quit, perhaps, due to fuel starvation?
I discussed those questions here, days after the accident happened. Now, a year later, the NTSB says the engine failure was the
Jury Verdict Against Cirrus Overturned on Appeal
A pilot flew his new Cirrus into conditions of poor visibility and crashed, killing himself and his passenger. The passenger’s family sued not just the pilot, but Cirrus as well.
Why sue Cirrus? According to the family, Cirrus didn’t train the pilot properly when he showed up at the factory to pick up his new plane, and
US Court Dismisses All Spanair Flight 5022 Crash Lawsuits
A McDonnell Douglas MD-82 crashed in August 2008 while taking off from Barajas Airport in Madrid. 154 on board were killed and 18 were injured. The injured passengers and the families of those killed filed lawsuits in the US against Boeing, which merged with 
McDonnell Douglas in 1997, claiming that the aircraft was defective.
Here’s what
Tesla Crash Case: Why Wasn’t Tesla Sued?
That’s the question I’m asked most often about the case filed by the family of the passenger lost in the Tesla plane crash.
The reason T
esla wasn’t sued is simple. Neither a passenger nor his family is allowed to sue an employer for a work-related injury or death. Instead, they are stuck with the meager workers’ compensation