image description
Airplane Equipment Failure
RSS

Airplane Equipment Failure

While air travel is considered safe, there are many more accidents per year than people realize. In 2010 in the United States alone, 1,331 planes were involved in crashes. The majority involved chartered flights, corporate planes and private airplanes. There are many factors that usually coincide to cause an accident. Pilot error, dangerous weather or the failure of airplane equipment can be disastrous.

If you or a family member has been seriously injured or killed in a plane crash, contact an aviation lawyer today. You may be able to receive compensation for you injuries, or file a wrongful death lawsuit if your loved one was killed in an accident that was caused by equipment failure. An experienced lawyer will investigate the accident to determine what happened and who is liable.

Equipment Failure

There are several factors that can contribute to aircraft equipment failure, including:

One of the leading causes of equipment failure is the use of cheap substandard parts rather than quality aviation supplies. Keeping costs down often means shopping for parts in foreign countries where aviation equipment manufacturing is not held to the exacting standards of the FAA.

Dangerous Equipment Failures

  • Electrical components - when airplane equipment failures involve navigation systems, altimeters or communications the results can be fatal, especially on private flights that aren't being actively tracked by radar.
  • Metal fatigue - poorly designed plane equipment is susceptible to metal fatigue. I f the pressure on metal crosses a certain threshold, tiny cracks will begin to form at the surface. Eventually the crack reaches a point where the entire structure will fracture.
  • Engine Failure - One of the most important pieces of plane equipment is obviously the engine. Large commercial planes are built to function with the loss of one engine, but in some cases, multiple engine failure occurs. In single engine planes engine failure is catastrophic.

Contact an Aircraft Equipment Lawyer

Cutting costs by using substandard aviation supplies or performing inadequate maintenance is a form of negligence. If you have been involved in a plane crash due to the failure of aviation equipment, legal help is available. An aviation lawyer can help you file a lawsuit against the company responsible for substandard aviation supplies.

To schedule an evaluation of your case, contact an aviation lawyer today.

Free Consultation

If you have any questions regarding your legal rights concerning an airline accident or incident, please contact an Aviation Attorney by filling out the short form below.

Your confidentiality matters. No information, including phone numbers and email addresses will be exchanged, shared or sold to a third party. Submissions do not constitute an Attorney/Client privilege. We look forward to hearing from you and will be in contact shortly.

Aviation Facts

  • Approximately 80 percent of all plane crashes occur shortly before or after takeoff or landing due to human error or mechanical failures.
  • According to an aviation accident survey of nearly 2,200 plane crashes from 1950 to 2004, the number one cause of aviation accidents is pilot error, which results in 45 percent of accidents. Undetermined causes: 33 percent. Mechanical failure: 13 percent.
  • In 2005, there were a total of 1,764 aviation accidents in the United States that resulted in 600 fatalities. Low-level maneuvering of an aircraft was the leading cause of fatal aviation accidents from 1998 to 2004.
  • In 2004, more than 70 percent of all plane crashes that ended in serious injury or fatality occurred during a personal flight. General aviation accidents occur more frequently than airline or business aviation accidents.
  • The most recent statistics on midair collisions has shown a steady decline. In 2004, there were 10 midair accidents resulting in 10 fatalities compared to 11 collisions in 2003 with 23 deaths.