Helicopter Door Opening During Flight Results in General Aviation Lawsuit

Case Title: Wight v. Robinson Helicopter On February 4, 2012, a Robinson R44 II helicopter, VH-COK, crashed shortly after takeoff. The helicopter left Jaspers Brush Airfield in New South Wales, Australia, to conduct aerial photography. The photographer intended to record the launch of a deep-sea submarine for a television documentary. The…

Negligent Air Traffic Controllers Results in General Aviation Lawsuit

Case Title: Kipp v. United States of America On December 18, 2005, a Cessna 195, N22L, made an emergency landing in the ocean near St. Augustine, Florida after the plane lost engine power. The pilot and two passengers, both minor girls, were killed. One passenger, also a minor girl, was injured.…

Pilot Losing Control of Airplane Results in General Aviation Lawsuit

Case Title: Smith v. Nature Air On December 16, 2005, a Nature Air flight, a twin-engine de Havilland DHC-6-300, TI-AZQ, crashed on final approach to the Tamarindo Airport in the Costa Rican province Guanacaste. It lost control and impacted with trees just short of the airport. The pilot and two passengers…

Negligent Repair and Maintenance Results in General Aviation Lawsuit

Case Title: Slette-Allen v. Beechcraft On July 3, 2005, a Beechcraft Bonanza V35 airplane, N2056W, crashed into a swamp near DeFuniak Springs, Florida. The flight originated at Pearland Regional Airport near Houston, Texas, and was bound for Panama City, Florida. Approximately six minutes before the crash, the pilot radioed Elgin Air…

Wing Separating from Plane Results in General Aviation Lawsuit

Case Title: Alfieri v. Crash of Swearingen SA-266T-Merlin IIIB On May 31, 2005, a Swearingen SA-226T aircraft, N22DW, crashed on landing at the Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey. The pilot was seriously injured in a fire that ensued. He was the only person onboard the personal flight. According to the…

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Results in General Aviation Lawsuit

Case Title: Martinez v. Avco Corporation On January 20, 2005, a Piper PA-32RT-300T airplane, N2144C, was damaged after it crashed near Municipio Guerrero, State of Coahuila, in Mexico. The two pilots were killed. The flight originated at the Mid-Way Regional Airport in Midlothian-Waxahachie, Texas, destined for the Gillespie County Airport near…

Maintenance Manual Error Results in Military Aviation Lawsuit

Case Title: Davis v. Boeing During a maintenance test flight, a U.S. Army Chinook CH-47D twin-rotor helicopter crashed southeast of Fort Hood, Texas, on April 24, 1995. A critical load-bearing bushing was not inserted into the rear rotor assembly during maintenance due to an error in the maintenance manual. The missing…

Engine Failure Results in Airline and Mass Disaster Aviation Lawsuit

Case Title: Odekirk, et al v. Aero Ruta Maya, et al On August 24, 2008, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (TG-JES) operated by Aero Ruta Maya was carrying volunteers and missionaries to a remote area in Guatemala to finish building a school when the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-44A engine suffered…

Pilot’s Lack of Training Results in Airline & Mass Disaster Aviation Lawsuit

Case Title: Robertson v. Blue Hawaiian On November 10, 2011, an Airbus EC-130 helicopter operated by Blue Hawaiian on an air tour flight crashed on Moloka’i in heavy rain and downdrafts. The pilot and four passengers were killed. The crash and post-impact fire were caused by the pilot’s decision to operate…