Aviation Operations & Regulatory Environment

Operational control is often the decisive issue in cases involving privately operated, chartered, and managed aircraft. This article explains how regulators, investigators, and courts analyze that issue and why it matters in complex aviation litigation.

After an aviation crash, important evidence may exist not only in the wreckage itself, but also in maintenance records, operational records, onboard data, scene documentation, and other materials that can bear on how the event occurred and what entities may have been...

FAA vs. NTSB: Who Does What After an Aviation Accident? When an aviation accident occurs in the United States, two federal agencies quickly become involved: the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Their names...

The continued operation of aging aircraft presents increasingly complex issues in aviation accident investigation and litigation. Many general aviation airplanes currently in service were manufactured in the 1970s and 1980s, while numerous business jets and turboprop...

Certification Compliance and Preemption Arguments in Aviation Product Liability Litigation In aviation product liability litigation, one of the most frequently asserted defenses concerns federal certification compliance. Aircraft manufacturers often contend that...

Modern aviation accident investigation follows a structured, multidisciplinary framework. Major civil and military investigative authorities organize complex aircraft investigations using a “group organization” model, in which technical specialists are assigned to...

Understanding Your Rights: Legal Recourse for Turbulence-Injured Airline Passengers Turbulence is one of the most common hazards encountered during commercial airline flights. While most turbulence events are minor, severe turbulence can cause serious injuries to...

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, crashed on March 10, 2019, shortly after departure from Addis Ababa. The accident followed the October 2018 crash of Lion Air Flight 610 and led to the worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX fleet. Litigation arising from...

On April 17, 2018, Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 experienced an in-flight engine failure that resulted in an emergency landing in Philadelphia and a fatal passenger injury. Early reporting and the ensuing investigation focused attention on fan blade integrity,...