Experienced Aviation Crash Lawyers Representing Clients in San Francisco, CA
Air disasters, private and commercial aviation accidents, and fatal plane crashes occur across the country in large and small airports, heliports, mountain terrain and recreational areas. We represent the heirs and loved ones of passengers killed in crashes involving commercial airliners, helicopters, air ambulances, medevac transports, commuter airlines and private planes. At Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, our San Francisco Aviation Accident Lawyer includes a former Navy pilot who has special aviation skills and decades of experience trying fatal airliner, private plane and helicopter crashes.
Are Pilots Liable for Plane Crashes?
Liability refers to one’s legal responsibility to a party for causing or contributing to the party’s damages. For a pilot to be liable for a plane crash, he or she must have done something that became the proximate or main cause of the accident. The pilot must have been negligent in some way that ended in disaster. Any action by the pilot that does not fulfill the reasonable standards of duty and care for the circumstances may be negligence.
Critical pilot errors can include:
- Pilot incompetence or lack of training
- Improper procedure
- Loss of control in flight
- Controlled flight into terrain
- Pilot fatigue
- Missed runway/excessive landing speed
- Navigation error
Plane crashes and other aviation accidents are typically catastrophic and do not leave many passengers unscathed. Plane crashes don’t happen every day, but they occur more often than many people realize. In 2015, there were 1,282 aviation accidents in the U.S., resulting in 406 deaths.
When a plane goes down, the first question is often, “Why did the accident happen?” The next question should be, “Who is liable for damages?” While pilot error is a major contributor to many plane crashes, the pilot isn’t the only party that might be at fault.
Since at least the 1960s, pilot error has been the number one cause of plane crashes around the United States. Pilots can cause accidents through negligence, carelessness, recklessness, or intent to harm. If a pilot’s actions or failure to act results in a harmful plane crash, survivors and family members of the deceased can file lawsuits against the pilot and other parties to pursue compensation for physical pain, emotional suffering, medical bills, lost wages, and other damages.
Pilot Incompetence: Needing a San Francisco Aviation Accidents Lawyer
It takes a great deal of training to get your commercial pilot’s license, and even more to become an airline pilot. Private pilots, on the other hand, can go through light or expedited training courses to get their licenses to fly. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), for example, offers a light sport pilot license program that takes just 12 days to complete. Traditional pilot licenses can take months or years to complete.
If a pilot does not receive enough training, or is too young or inexperienced to fly the plane solo, it can result in crashes. Pilot errors such as “loss of control in flight” are most common in less experienced pilots. Incompetent pilots might not know how to react to situations such as collapsed landing gear or bad weather. The result can be fatal if the pilot panics or loses control of the aircraft. Lack of training or pilot incompetence can result in pilot liability for a crash. In this case, a San Francisco Aviation Accident Lawyer may be necessary.
Negligence or Recklessness
Even the most experienced pilots can make mistakes. Acts of negligence, such as failing to check the weather prior to taking up a private party, can end in disaster. Recklessness can describe a pilot trying to perform stunts or showing up to the helm under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Pilot carelessness can take many forms, including:
- Failing to prepare for the flight
- Failing to properly inspect and maintain the aircraft
- Failing to program autopilot
- Miscalculating fuel consumption
- Neglecting to pay attention while piloting
- Failing to communicate with crew members or air controllers
- Improperly maneuvering the aircraft
- Mismanaging the plane’s technology
Any action that a “reasonable and prudent” pilot would not have done in the same circumstances could qualify as negligence, and result in pilot liability. There are things all pilots should do to reduce the risk of a crash. Failure to do these things, resulting in an accident, will almost certainly come down to pilot liability.
Part Failure
Aircraft mechanical error is the second-leading cause of plane crashes. While this won’t always be the pilot’s fault, it could be if the pilot is the same person in charge of the aircraft’s maintenance and daily inspections. For example, if the pilot owns a private plane. If it is the pilot’s duty to inspect the craft, order repairs, and take care of routine maintenance, injured parties could sue the pilot for failing to fulfill these duties if a crash ensues.
Besides the pilot, injured plane crash victims might be able to sue an airline, aircraft part manufacturer, maintenance crew, government agency, and/or a few other parties. Talk to a San Francisco Aviation Accident Lawyer about your right to sue.
Who Can You Sue for Pilot Error?
Many plane crashes do not stem from a single factor, but multiple factors all culminating in the accident. While a pilot may have contributed to an accident, there are likely other factors at work as well, such as equipment failure, bad weather, structural issues, air traffic controller negligence, poor plane maintenance, or safety code violations.
In any plane accident, liable parties can include the pilot, the owner of the aircraft, a manufacturing company, maintenance supplier, the federal government, and several other third parties. Anyone who shared responsibility for a plane crash can face legal action. A pilot may be at least partially liable if he or she played a role in the accident. If the pilot is an employee of a company, the company will be vicariously liable for the actions of the pilot.
California is a comparative negligence state, meaning the courts can assign percentages of fault to more than one defendant in a personal injury or wrongful death claim. Plane crashes are complex events that typically don’t result from a single action or one entity’s fault. Since the circumstances of all aviation accidents are unique, they require experienced attorneys to protect the rights of victims and fight for maximum compensation.
Examples Of Successful Representation In Aviation Cases
Airline Crash Causing Wrongful Death – $3.3 Million Settlement
Bell Helicopter Crash Causing Wrongful Death – $3.2 Million Settlement
Private Plane Crash — $3 Million Wrongful Death Settlement
Commercial Air Crash — $2 Million Wrongful Death Settlement
Air Ambulance Crash — Seven-Figure Confidential Settlement
*Click on the individual result to see details regarding the case.
Need A San Francisco Aviation Accidents Lawyer In California?
Fatal collisions, whether of small planes, commercial jetliners, commuter planes, or helicopters, may occur for many reasons: weather, navigation errors, pilot error, improper maintenance, contaminated fuel, mechanical or product flaws and even air traffic controller negligence. Regardless of the reason for the disaster, our aviation litigation team has represented survivors in a host of situations.
Our California wrongful death aviation crash lawyers offer our clients a proven track record of success in obtaining compensation for those left behind when an aviation crash takes the life of a loved one. Our wrongful death litigation team has experience in almost every aspect of liability, including defective replacement parts, pilot negligence, air traffic controller error, negligent maintenance, failure to follow safety procedures, and even crashes caused by defective maps, counterfeit replacement parts, and fuel contamination.
Our aviation wrongful death litigators have experience working hand in hand with government investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as well as with local and state investigators. Because government-based investigations can take years, we often commission an independent investigation on behalf of our clients as soon as possible after a crash, and we move swiftly to identify potentially liable parties.
Contact Our San Francisco Aviation Accident Lawyer
If you have suffered the loss of a loved one from a severe injury or accident in California, our San Francisco accident lawyers can help you. For an immediate consultation with one our attorneys, call us at ((415) 981-7210 or contact us online and we’ll reach out to you asap. If you have lost a loved one in a plane crash or an aviation disaster of any kind, the Walkup wrongful death aviation team, headed by a former military pilot, is ready to help.