Faulty Aviation Equipment

Statistically, air travel is one of the safest forms of travel; it is safer than driving a car. Each year, however, there are more aviation accidents than most people realize. The majority of aviation accidents involve corporate planes, private airplanes, and charter flights. While pilot errors are the most common cause of aviation accidents, faulty aviation equipment can also lead to devastating crashes. It only takes one defective part to cause an otherwise safe plane to come crashing down. A pilot cannot pull over to the side of the road when a plane starts to malfunction. The only option is to try to land safely. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, and faulty aviation equipment can cause devastating and deadly airplane accidents.

When an accident could have been prevented with safe aviation equipment, injured victims may have a right to compensation. Unfortunately, serious plane accidents are often fatal. If your loved one lost their life in a plane accident involving faulty aviation equipment, you should speak to an attorney as soon as possible. Contact us today to schedule your free initial consultation.

Faulty equipment can lead to commercial aviation accidents that result in hundreds of deaths. Many commercial planes carry hundreds of passengers, and it only takes one faulty piece of equipment to cause deadly plane accidents. When large commercial planes crash, hundreds of people may die. After a crash, federal authorities will engage in a thorough investigation of the accident.

Investigators attempt to determine whether all of the airplane equipment was properly functioning at the time of the crash. Typically, they must search through all the wreckage of the accident to determine whether any equipment malfunctioned. They will then try to determine whether the pilot’s error, weather, faulty equipment, or a combination, caused the accident.

A majority of general aviation accidents involve privately owned airplanes. Small charter plane operations owe their customers a legal duty of reasonable care. They must ensure that their aircraft is well maintained and without any faulty equipment. If you suffered an injury after a private or charter plane accident, it is best to speak to an attorney as soon as possible. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to bring a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the aircraft, the maintenance crew that failed to notice the faulty equipment, or the tour company itself.

Many different types of aviation equipment failures can cause devastating accidents. In some cases, airplane manufacturers and mechanics use cheaper parts rather than pay for quality aviation components. They may purchase parts in other countries where aviation component manufacturing is not held to the Federal Aviation Administration’s strict standards.

Metal Fatigue
Metal fatigue happens when equipment is poorly designed. Metal components need to be designed to withstand the constant pressure and use that takes place during flight. When the pressure on a piece of metal exceeds a certain threshold, tiny but dangerous cracks can form on the metal’s surface. As the cracks begin to multiply and spread, the airplane’s entire structure can become at risk of failure.

Failure of Electrical Components
Airplanes and helicopters require many different electrical components. When those electrical components fail, the results can be fatal. This is especially true when flight controllers are not actively tracking the flight via radar. When communication devices, altimeters, and navigation systems break, the results can be disastrous.

Engine Failure
Engine failure is another extremely dangerous type of equipment failure. The most important piece of equipment on a plane or helicopter is the engine itself. While large commercial planes have multiple engines and are designed to survive when one engine fails, there is only one engine on smaller planes and helicopters. When that engine fails, the pilot often cannot safely land, resulting in a potentially fatal and catastrophic crash.

Defective Design of Aircraft
Three weeks ago, the aircraft manufacturer Boeing decided to ground some of their large 787 jets After they discovered a design defect. The company discovered manufacturing defects on some of their long-range airplanes where parts of the fuselage are joined together, resulting in Boeing's latest setback. The company found that two separate manufacturing issues in the rear of some of their 787 planes show that these planes did not meet their design standards. In other words, they have a defective design. The company has notified the FAA, and they are trying to determine the cause of the problem.

Aircraft manufacturers have a legal duty to ensure that they do not design aircraft with dangerous defects. When these dangerous defects result in accidents that cause injuries or death, they may be liable. In this case, if the design defect in the fuselage caused a plane crash, the victims or their family members would likely be able to recover compensation from the manufacturer.

Negligent Maintenance
Airplane mechanics have an incredibly important job. When they make a mistake, the results can be deadly. All it takes is for someone to miss one defect while inspecting a plane or helicopter engine for a disastrous accident to occur. When mechanics are negligent and this negligence results in a devastating crash, they may be liable for the resulting injuries.

Sadly, when a plane or helicopter crashes, fatalities often occur. Even when crashes happen at relatively low altitudes, the results can be fatal. When an accident happens, the fuel often ignites. The fire, along with combustible materials like oil and fuel, causes an enormous explosion nearly immediately upon impact, making it rare for people to survive the accident. When people do survive, they are often left with debilitating life-long injuries, including severe burns, traumatic brain injuries, and paralysis.

If your loved one died in an aviation accident, you could bring a wrongful death lawsuit. Unfortunately, it takes months or longer for investigators to complete a thorough investigation of the accident. During this time, family members are left to determine how they will pay for funeral expenses, and how they will survive when their deceased family member is no longer able to provide for them.

Aviation accidents are often catastrophic and devastating for everyone involved. Having a personal injury attorney advocating for you throughout the accident investigation process can help you in the long run. At Arnold & Smith, PLLC, we can help ensure that your rights are protected as you wait for the investigation results. Successful wrongful-death plaintiffs can recover compensation that will help them and their families for years to come.

Contact us today to schedule your free consultation. For your convenience and safety, we offer video and phone conferencing. If you prefer an in-person consultation, we have three easy to reach offices in Uptown Charlotte, Monroe, and Mooresville. The attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC can help fight for the compensation you deserve.