Plane Crash Lawyer Aviation Attorney

• 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.

Some of the most common causes of aviation accidents include:

• pilot error,
• negligence by a flight service employee or air traffic controller,
• faulty equipment or mechanical failure,
• weather,
• and sabotage.
• Violations of Federal Aviation Administration safety regulations and aviation law are also a frequent cause of aviation accidents.

FAA Cracks Down on Air Traffic Controllers Napping During Breaks

September 18, 2006 -

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced they will be cracking down on air controllers who doze off during their downtime, a guideline that will overrule standard policies in several control centers.

This new action was taken the week after the fatal Comair plane crash in Lexington, Kentucky killed 49 of the 50 passengers onboard. Aviation investigators have looked into staffing and airport construction as possible factors contributing to the accident.

Allegedly, the tower operator, who was working alone, had turned his back to do paperwork as the plane tried to takeoff from the wrong runway. The operator revealed to investigators that he had gotten only two hours of sleep during the nine-hour break between his shifts the day before the plane crash.

Agency employees at an Indianapolis air control center that handles air traffic in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, West Virginia, and Ohio, were alerted that the FAA would be terminating the previous policy that allowed workers to nap during break time.

While national policies against dozing off are not new, workers at regional radar centers and local control towers were able to negotiate local guidelines on the issue. However, the FAA action cancels all local negations, according to FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown.

“Even though they're on break, they can be called back to work at any time,” she said. “If they had to be called back to work traffic and they had been sleeping, they would be groggy.”

Has someone you love been harmed in a plane crash? Please contact us today to speak with a qualified and experienced plane crash attorney about your legal rights and options.

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