The Weblog for the Aviation Litigation World
Posted in Uncategorized on Jan 4th, 2012
As we have noted on several occasions, the disconnect between the NTSB and the FAA on the subject of safety recommendations has long been a problem and concern for aviation safety advocates. Too often the FAA’s dual mandate to both promote aviation and police it are at odds, and the result is safety delayed which [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Dec 19th, 2011
Signs that the aviation industry continues to put “Safety First” and seek zero tolerance with respect to accidents are evident in data released today by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). This year’s numbers indicate another step in the right direction for aviation safety. According to the NTSB, the majority of aviation deaths occurred in [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Jun 22nd, 2011
It was one of those days that I was thinking how fortunate I was to be a pilot… It was this past Saturday and I was lying on State Beach on Martha’s Vineyard soaking in the sun thanks to the only hole in the sky that existed from the Hamptons to Nantucket. I had left [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Feb 17th, 2011
The FAA and Congress need to quickly address a disturbing trend within the nation’s air traffic control system – controller errors are rising at an alarming rate. Recent data demonstrates an extraordinary increase in the number of operational errors. In 2010, the number approached an alarming 2,000 errors per year, more than double the errors [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Feb 7th, 2011
The final report on a hard landing of an Airbus A320 faults the pilots, but also points to known deficiences regarding the aircraft. The report highlights something that has been a subject of previous articles I’ve published — how modern automated flight-control systems sometimes confuse pilots and result in unintended hazards. The A320 has wing [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Jan 3rd, 2011
The National Transportation Safety Board has excluded American Airlines from participating in an accident investigation. The NTSB made the unusual decision because American Airlines improperly accessed black box information without the participation of the NTSB and other authorities. Under the rules governing U.S. aviation accident investigations, the parties potentially responsible for an accident (e.g., the [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Dec 28th, 2010
The Zadroga Bill, a long awaited federal law which will provide health care, medical monitoring and financial compensation for World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers, is about to become a reality. The Bill will allow the 9/11 victims to file claims in a new Victims’ Compensation Fund where the claims will be adjudicated by [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Dec 22nd, 2010
Today the Senate declared that it has not forgotten our 9/11 heroes. The Senate has passed a bill that will provide much-needed money, $4.3 billion, to cover healthcare costs for first responders who became ill from working at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City. It is now up [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Dec 21st, 2010
Congress must act, and act now, to right a serious wrong. Almost ten years ago, nineteen terrorists hijacked four airliners and murdered thousands of Americans. The very best of our citizens responded running toward the danger at ground zero. Many lost their lives that day. Others have lost their health, their welfare and are slowly [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Dec 15th, 2010
After the Air France Flight 447 disaster, plaintiffs filed claims in the United States. The plaintiffs included U.S. families who lost loved ones in the disaster and victim families from outside the U.S. The defendants brought a motion to dismiss the actions based on the forum non conveniens doctrine. It was no surprise that the [...]