Aviation Law & Investigation

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...

Civil litigation arising from aviation accidents occupies a narrow but technically complex corner of American tort law. Unlike most personal injury litigation, aviation cases frequently involve federal regulatory frameworks, aircraft certification issues, accident...

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...

When an aviation accident occurs, one of the first questions asked by families, investigators, and journalists alike is simple: who is responsible? In aviation accidents, the answer is rarely straightforward. Determining liability often requires a detailed...

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents in the United States. Its investigations are conducted to determine probable cause and to issue safety recommendations intended to prevent similar events. The...

Experimental and developmental aircraft testing occupies a distinct position within aviation operations. Test flights—particularly in the rotorcraft context—often involve prototype systems, modified configurations, and evolving flight-control logic operating outside...

In-Flight Hot Beverage Burn Claims Commercial air travel necessarily involves service procedures conducted in a confined and dynamic environment. Among those procedures is the in-flight distribution of hot beverages. While routine, such service can present injury...

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,...