Helicopter and Plane Crash Lawyer
Safety Reform Slow After Buffalo Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
On February 12, 2009, 50 people died in a fiery plane crash near Buffalo, N.Y. as a result of the pilots of the regional airliner making critical errors. Almost a year later, safety reforms have not been implemented even though Federal regulators and lawmakers promised quick action immediately following the plane crash.
The crash brought to light a safety gap between the major airlines and the regional carriers. Some of the concerns are fatigue among the pilots of low-fare airlines, long-distance commutes and inadequate training. Pilot performance has been a factor in three of the last six fatal domestic airline accidents involving regional carriers. Investigators have determined the cause of the Buffalo crash to be primarily the errors made by the pilots.
The Washington Post reports the National Transportation Safety Board is meeting to determine the probable cause of the N.Y. crash and to make safety recommendations, stating the safety issues raised by the crash go beyond the pilots' mistakes.
The House has passed legislation to force the FAA to strengthen regulations, but action has been slowed by unrelated Senate disputes.
This does not surprise Frieda. Of course, there is no reason why the FAA can't do the right thing and create the safety reform without being forced to do so by legislation. Then there are the airlines which could improve their safety training. Improving the safety of trusting passengers should be more important than risking lives in order to save money.
United Airlines Airbus 319 Landing Gear Collapses at Newark
Category: Plane Crashes
As the industry questions the cause of the landing gear malfunction at Newark Liberty International Airport, no injuries have been reported.
The passengers had to crouch down in their seats and prepare for a crash landing. The crew was able to bring the airliner to a safe belly landing and all 48 passengers and 5 crew members slid down emergency chutes to safety once the plane came to a stop. Some passengers report the landing was smoother that other landings they have experienced at Newark.
The trouble became apparent when Flight 634 from Chicago was on its descent to the Newark airport. The passengers were aware of trouble when the plane pulled up and started to circle the airport instead of landing. The pilot then announced there was a problem with the landing gear and they should brace themselves for a crash.
An investigation is underway.
Frieda is pleased to know there are pilots whose composure during an emergency saves lives. That being said, she eagerly awaits the results of the investigation - such as the maintenance history on the aircraft. Is this area one where the airlines cutting costs in an attempt to save money?
Northwest Airlines Brand Will Soon Be Gone
Category: Airline Travel
Delta Airlines has received the single operating certificate from the FAA allowing it to phase out the Northwest name. The process is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2010.
In October, 2008, Delta acquired Northwest and became the world's largest airline.
It is on that date in 2008, Frieda's traveling experience changed forever. Northwest is the only airlines Frieda uses and in her opinion, nothing good has happened to Northwest since Delta took over the airline.
Now Frieda knows no airline is perfect and there are those of you who have had trouble with Northwest - Frieda's experience has been nothing but pleasant.
There is one route Frieda travels several times a year - a route which was previously thoroughly enjoyed. Since that date in 2008, when Delta came on the scene, this has not been the case. Among the many differences is the size of the plane - it's so small one can hardly stand up when boarding. Customer service has changed too - the agents remain polite while being relatively useless under Delta's reign. Trying to book a flight online, checking in, and attempting to book using air miles Delta's website is much more user unfriendly than Northwest's.
Speaking of air miles . . .one changed that has already taken place - and the most annoying Frieda has found so far - is the combination of the frequent-flyer for both airlines into Delta's SkyMiles. In the past, using frequent flyer miles through Northwest has been smooth and easy. Not so with Delta's SkyMiles. Trying to use air miles gained under Northwest is the most frustrating experience Frieda has ever encountered. One can no longer use half miles and half credit card under Delta's rules. . . unless one has the Delta American Express Credit Card. No other card will do - it has to be Delta's card for which one pays a fee. Ridiculous!
A very nice agent explained this credit card policy to Frieda when she was trying to book her holiday flights. The tone of the agent's voice was so empathetic, Frieda asked if she was originally Delta or Northwest. She said she was originally with Northwest. Frieda then expressed her sympathies to the agent for what Delta has done to Northwest. Her response? "Thank you, I appreciate that."
So, it is with a heavy heart Frieda bids farewell to Northwest Airlines and its management. Traveling with you has been a pleasure - you will be missed.
Dangers At Newark Airport
Category: Aviation Safety
The unsafe landing procedures have been revealed at New Jersey's Newark Airport because the air traffic controllers who cared more about passenger safety than their jobs.
The controllers knew that landing planes on intersecting runways at the same time risked lives and when the FAA ignored them, they turned to the news media for help. All they wanted the FAA to do was to help them do their job - to keep airplanes from colliding. Even after several close calls, the FAA tried to keep the controllers quiet, accused of caring more about capacity than safety.
The Department of Transportation Inspector General confirmed the landing on intersecting runways at Newark created "unnecesary flight hazards" and faults the FAA for being slow to respond. New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith states the slow response to prevent a catastreophe could have killed hundreds if not thousands. The Office of Special Counsel blasted the FAA for not going far enough an for allowing "a potential danger to the flying public to persist."
The FAA plans to start up an automated system to help air traffic controllers separate plane on intersectind runways on December 14th.
Is it possible to get the FAA to do their job without a public whistleblower? Frieda wonders what other dangers are lurking which threaten our lives.
Zoned Airspace Goes Into Effect Over The Hudson
Category: Helicopter Crashes
On Thursday, November 19, a long needed "exclusionary zone" over the Hudson River in New York City goes into effect. The new "zone" system separates the airspace for helicopters and seaplanes from the airspace for other aircrafrt flying over the Hudson, reports rotor & wing.
VFR aircraft which operate under the rules of air traffic control will operate above 1,300 feet while lower flying aircraft using visual flight rules will fly between 1,000 feet and 1,300 feet and use the same radio frequency used by aircraft flying below 1,000 feet.
A congested air space for too long is finally getting the changes needed to make flying safer. Sadly, these changes come after nine people died in a helicopter-plane midair on August 8 of this year.
What's Going On With Delta?
Category: Airline Travel
Delta Airlines has just not had a good week. Frieda has not had a good week with Delta.
On November 7, a plane heading to Philadelphia had to return to the gate due to an engine fire. Airport fire trucks responded immediately and all 138 passengers were quickly evacuated. The good news is no one was hurt and the passengers were put on another flight to their destination later that same day - hopefully one without the fireworks.
Just the day before the engine fire, an engine tail cone came off a Delta airlines Boeing 777 jet shortly after takeoff, plummeted thousands of feet and landing in someone's yard. An FAA spokesman stated the jet doesn't need the part to fly and the passengers weren't in any danger. Well, that's good news. However, what about the danger to those of us at home or out working in the yard or walking our dog? The part weighed 20 pounds and was 4 feet long and 3 feet in diameter - a size that would have killed someone if it hit them after falling thousands of feet. Luckily this did not happen. No one noticed when the part fell off and the flight continued safely to Tokyo with 221 passengers and crew members on board.
Now, with these two incidents happening so soon after the NWA airlines missed the Minneapolis airport because they were busy on their laptops, Frieda wonders just what exactly is going on with Delta (NWA is now part of Delta as you may know). Not only do they seem to be slipping on maintenance and therefore, our safety, they are definitely very "consumer friendly".
Not only are we, their "meal ticket" so to speak, being choked and choked by any and every additional fee they can think of to throw at us, just try using any accumulated mileage credit for a flight. Last year, Frieda used some of her Frequent Flyer miles from NWA to lower the cost of her ticket for the holidays - a pleasant and easy experience. Frieda used a credit card and saved half the cost of her ticket. This week Frieda tried to do the same thing this year, flying the exact same route and dates flown last year. Well, my Frequent Flyer miles from NWA have now been turned to Sky Miles from Delta. The new "gotcha" is these miles can't be used to lower the cost of the ticket unless Frieda uses a Delta American Express credit card! Frieda doesn't have a Delta American Express. No other card will do - only Delta's card - and we have yet another way to squeeze the flying public. Even if Frieda applied for and used a Delta American Express card, Frieda would not have the same economic friendly experience she had using her mileage last year with NWA. The American public and air miles are being held hostage by the airline!
Just what is going on with the airline - in these instances, Delta in particular? What is the extra money they receive from all these fees going towards? Certainly not maintenance and competency nor consumer satisfaction! What other industry in the country would we still patronize if we kept getting one surcharge and fee after another, yet received questionable safety standards and unfriendly service?
Of course, Delta is investigating the two aircraft instances. Perhaps it's time Delta investigates their policies on how they treat their flying public or those they supposedly serve need to investigate Delta.
Mother Sues In Daughter's Helicopter Death
Category: Helicopter Crashes
The mother of an Oklahoma woman who died last month in a helicopter crash has filed suit against the pilot's estate, his parents, the helicopter manufacturer, the owner of the helicopter and five unknown men, reports the Tahlequah Daily Press.
The crash of the Robinson R-22 in mid-October killed her daughter and the 26-year-old pilot. The suit alleges the pilot negligently operated the aircraft which caused the injuries that led to her daughter's death. The pilot's parents are listed because they had control over the helicopter and allowed their son to fly the chopper, knowing he had "reckless flying habits." Robinson Helicopter Co. is accused of negligent design of the R-22 which made it "defective and unreasonably dangerous."
A judgment of $10,000 from each defendant is sought in the case.
Not knowing much about the R-22, Frieda decided to check out what the knowledgeable people had to say about this machine. Although there were sighted some room for improvement, Frieda did not find any article stating it is a defective or dangerous aircraft. In a report dated January, 2008, the Robinson R-22 is called the "darling of flight schools" everywhere. Stating the craft is remarkably reliable and maintenance-free the writer adds the majority of the accidents are due to pilot error, and the R-22 is not forgiving of pilot error.
Northwest Flight 188 to MN or WI?
Category: Aviation News
Frieda is sure that by now we all know about Northwest Flight 188 flying from San Diego, CA to Minneapolis, MN and totally missed the Minneapolis-St.Paul airport on October 21, crossing the state line into Wisconsin. Somehow, the pilots missed all attempts by Air Traffic Controllers to get their attention, forgot to fly the airplane, yet claim they were not asleep.
The Airbus A320 had 144 passengers and five crew members on board. The pilots claim "they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness." Experts seem to doubt this account of what happened, doubting they could have been distracted for that long - an hour and 20 minutes.
The controllers were so concerned, the Air National Guard fighters were ready to intercept and investigate the situation because of the lengthy time without contact. Contact was made with the pilots before the fighters were deployed.
Of course this incident has the FAA and the NTSB's attention. Another look at scheduling for pilots and pilot fatigue is definitely on the agenda. The voice recorder on the A320 probably won't be much help since it's on a 30-minute loop which means it records over itself every 30 minutes and this excursion lasted almost 3 times that long. This also raises the question of replacing the shorter loop voice recorders with the new 2 hour ones.
If sleeping on the job is found to be a factor in this incident, it will be the first one for commercial aviation - or at least the first one we know about. In 2008 a pilot of a Go!Airline jet fell asleep for 18 minutes on a flight from Honolulu to Hilo, Hawaii. The plane landed safely but the pilot was fired.
Frieda doesn't care if the pilots were asleep or in a heated discussion. Frieda does care that their job of flying the aircraft full of passengers and crew members safely to its destination was not their priority. Whatever the reason, their negligence put lives at risk. The airlines are so quick to find ways to nickel and dime its passengers on every flight - added fees that don't seem to improve our safety and our service. It's time the airlines are called to task.
New Rules For Pilots After Buffalo Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
The House has overwhelmingly approved new rules for pilots of commuter planes operated by regional carriers. In response to the Cogan Air flight in February which killed 50 people when the plane's engine stalled and crashed into a house.
The bill would require these pilots to have at least 1,500 hours of flight experience (instead of the current 250) and would require the pilots to be trained to deal with flight emergencies. This last one has left Frieda speechless - why isn't being trained in flight emergencies already a requirement?
When the NTSB investigated the crash, they found numerous deficiencies in regulations covering regional carriers and made recommendations to the FAA. The FAA is not required to adopt the NTSB's recommendations, a policy that surprised Rep. Louise Slaughter. The House legislation would eliminate the possibility the FAA would "shelve" these recommendations. The FAA not acting on recommendations from the NTSB - shocker!
Under this legislation, the FAA would have 90 days after final enactment of the bill to establish a national database of pilot licenses and safety records for airlines to use for hiring purposes. The FAA will have one year to update and to implement a new rule on number of hours a pilot can work in order to reduce pilot fatigue. Passengers who book flights on the internet would also be advised if a flight segment is being flown by a regional partner or by a major carrier.
When lives are at stake, it amazes Frieda that the FAA is so lax in their regulations and safety standards. Why do we need the House to propose a bill to force the FAA to do what it should be doing all along - being a safety advocate for us, the passengers who trust the airline industry with our lives each time we board an aircraft? Why does it take a tragedy to bring light to deficiencies that shouldn't have been allowed to exist at all?
It seems the bottom line for this industry isn't our safety afterall.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed In Helicopter Crash
Category: Helicopter Crash Lawsuits
The family of a 46-year-old man who died three years ago when the Robinson Helicopter R44 he was flying crashed, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Robinson Helicopter Co. and some of its suppliers, reports the News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington.
The children of the pilot claim the aircraft was poorly designed "defective and unsafe" - the reason the helicopter crashed. It was purchased new only a few months before the fatal crash.
On Oct. 8, 2006 the helicopter crashed into Lake Tapps, just before the pilot was to land at his lakefront home. He was killed in the crash and the sole passenger was severely injured. Witnesses reported hearing popping or clanking sounds coming from the helicopter before it crashed.
The NTSB ruled the crash was caused by "the complete loss of engine power, for undetermined reasons" and the pilot's loss of control of the helicopter after the power loss." The lawsuit contends the R44's engine was defective - especially the carburetor.
With 28 years of experience in aviation law, including handling crashes internationally, Crouse Law Offices in Raleigh, N.C. will be able to handle your concerns competently and efficiently. The successful career of Crouse Law Offices has gained them the respect of major law firms and large aviation manufacturers.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a helicopter or plane incident, please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us online for a free review of your case.
Plane Crash Caused By Pilot's Blackout
Category: Plane Crashes
A fatal plane crash in Indiana on Wednesday is thought to be caused by the 43-year-old pilot suffering from hypoxia - a lack of oxygen. The plane was a single-engine propeller M20M Mooney registered to David Eyde, who has ownership interest in Eyde Co., a Lansing-based real estate development company.
Pilots flying F-16s were sent to intercept the erratically flying plane, and reported the plane crashed on its own. Pilots must use oxygen when flying above 12,500 feet for over 30 minutes in order to prevent hypoxia. Controllers in Indianapolis reported the plane had been circling with the pilot slumped over in the seat at about 25,000 feet. A pilot can become incapacitated at that altitude in only 3 minutes. Air traffic controllers in Minneapolis had given the pilot permission to fly at 25,000 feet, suggesting the pilot knowingly flew to that altitude and then lost consciousness.
In 1999, the plane carrying pro golfer Payne Stewart crashed killing Stewart and four others as a result of everyone on board losing consciousness from lack of oxygen after a loss in cabin pressure.
Medical Helicopter Crash In S.C. Kills Three
Category: Helicopter Crashes
The American Eurocopter AS350B2 took off from Charleston around 11 p.m. after having dropped off a patient around 9:35 p.m. The helicopter was heading northeast to Conway at the time of the crash. The last radio contact was 11:05 p.m. and the helicopter crashed at about 11:30 p.m. It is not known if a thunderstorm which moved through the area a little before the crash was a contributing factor.
According to NTSB records, a similar helicopter operated by Omniflight was damaged on July 2 when it struck steel poles adjacent to the helipad at a hospital. No one was injured in that incident.
In 2006, the NTSB issued a special report concerning issues involved in the increased number of emergency helicopter crashes. According to USA Today, earlier this month NTSB officials urged the government to impose stricter controls on emergency helicopter operators because of last year's 35 deaths between December 2007 and October 2008 - a record number. Since last October there have been three accidents with no deaths until the South Carolina Crash on Friday.
Airlink Crash Is Second For Pilot
Category: Plane Crashes
The SA Airlink plane crash in Durban (South Africa) earlier this month which critically injured four people is not the first for Captain Alistair Freeman.
In 2005, he crashed his twin-engine Britten-Norman Islander charter plane into a Durban house. The house was empty at the time, but all six on board the plane, including two children, were injured. Pilot error was listed as the probable cause for that crash. He had only six hours experience in this type of aircraft at the time of the crash.
On Heritage Day, an aircraft piloted by Freeman crashed into a field at a school shortly after takeoff, trapping all three crew members in the wreckage and injuring one person on the ground. Airlink CEO Rodger Foster is insisting Freeman is a competent pilot, stating the company has a good idea of what caused the crash, but is waiting on the analysis of the black boxes for confirmation.
Helicopter Crashes in San Diego County
Category: Helicopter Crashes
A Robinson R-44 helicopter crashed in the Guejito Ranch in southern California on Sunday, injuring two people on board.
The Robinson aircraft was manufactured in 2008 and was registered to Gillian Blue GP LLC, a career-coaching business based in Dallas and was based at Mongomery Field. Since the chopper was privately owned, it is thought to be used for pleasure flying.
Guejito Ranch's 22,000 acres of pristine wildlands are home to thousands of species, some of them endangered and protected. Because of it's enviromental purity, it is a popular scenic area to fly over.
The FAA and the NTSB have been flown into the area to determine if the crash was mechanical problems pilot error.
Charlotte Businessman Dies in Cirrus SR22 Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Skipper Beck, a prominent business owner in Charlotte was killed around 7:00 a. m. on Sept. 11 when his single engine Cirrus SR22 crashed in Rock Hill York County Airport. Eye witnesses stated the plane had mechanical problems shortly after takeoff and crashed as he was trying to return to the airport, catching fire upon impact. The Cirrus SR22 G3 Turbo was valued at $525,500.
The plane was registered to Beck Management Group of which Beck was the CEO. The management group had interests in several ventures including the auto business, aviation, and sports. Beck was co-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.
According to one account, the SR22 by Cirrus Design is extremely popular among purchasers of new aircraft and has become the world's best selling single engine four seat aircraft. It is a high performance more powerful version of the Cirrus SR20 with larger wings, larger fuel capacity and a 310 horsepower engine. Unlike most other high performance aircraft (except the Cessna 400) the SR22 has a non-retractable landing gear. It is also equipped with CAPS - the Cirrus Aircraft Parachute System - parachute which lowers the entire aircraft to the ground in an emergency.
9/11 Lawsuits Still Pending - Want Airline Security Faults Exposed
Category: Plane Crash Lawsuits
Three families of 9/11 victims still have lawsuits pending over airline security on that fateful day. Ninety-eight percent of the families who sued the airlines or their security contractors for negligence have settled out of court.
The remaining families are seeking more than compensation for the loss of their loved ones. They want the evidence gathered in the lawsuits made part of a public archive, claiming no one has done a singularly focused issue on what failed at the checkpoints. The public wants to know what the everyone knew prior to 9/11 including the airlines, security, FAA, and law enforcement and these three families want to see this information made public.
Initially, the court had allowed the defendants in the cases to keep certain sensitive information private during the discovery phase of the lawsuits. The families accuse the defendants of abusing the ruling by declaring almost all the evidence secret. Some of this evidence will be part of the public record when the first of the remaining three cases goes to trial.
The plaintiffs cannot discuss the details of the evidence, they say it is clear the security system of 9/11 totally failed.
With 28 years of experience in aviation law, including handling crashes internationally, Crouse Law Offices in Raleigh, N.C. will be able to handle your concerns competently and efficiently. The successful career of Crouse Law Offices has gained them the respect of major law firms and large aviation manufacturers.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a helicopter or plane incident, please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us online for a free review of your case.
Deadly Arizona Midair Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
According to the FAA, one student was killed on Wednesday south of Phoenix when two small planes were involved in a midair collision. The single-engine Cessna 150 was registered to Christiansen Aviation in Delaware and operated by a Phoenix area flight school. The passenger, another student, was airlifted to an area hospital.
The pilot of the second plane, a single-engine Piper Cherokee, registered to Oxford Training Center Inc., was able to land safely about two miles from the Cessna's crash site. No one on board were injured.
The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the incident.
Five People Killed in Tulsa Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
What was to be a fun filled weekend in Dallas turned tragic for a doctor, his wife, his two children, and a family friend when his single engine Piper Saratoga crashed in West Tulsa on Saturday.
According to the NTSB's preliminary report, the plane struck a guy-wire supporting a 600-foot-tall radio tower in the center of Chandler Park in West Tulsa. The report states the plane struck the cable approximately 150 feet above the ground and about 1,500 feet from the tower. The wreckage was found almost 100 yards from the initial impact on the ground with a 300-foot-long section of the cable in the wreckage.
The plane took off about 10:35 a.me. from Jones Riverside Airport and crashed 7 minutes later.
Further investigation is needed to determine the cause of the crash and will take several months to complete.
$16.5M Upgrade For Carolinas HealthCare Helicopter Fleet
Category: Helicopter News
The Charlotte-based Carolinas HealthCare System plans to spend $16.5 million within 18 months to upgrade its aging medical helicopter fleet. This is good news in light of the medical helicopter crashes and the need for improved aircraft technology.
Three Eurocopter 135 helicopters will be purchased and upfited as air ambulances. MedCenter Air which is part of the Carolinas Health Care system, made 1,700 transports in 2008. This included rescuing patients from accidents to moving them from one hospital to another.
To defray the costs for the new choppers, the company will sell three of it's Bell 430, purchased between 1996 and 2002 for $4.5 million each. They may keep the fourth Bell helicopter as back-up.
Black Boxes Recoverd from Yemenia Airways Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
The second of two black boxes from the June Yemenia Airways Airbus A310-300 which crashed in the Indian Ocean has been found one day after the first black box was found. Both the voice recorder and the data recorder will be sent to experts in Paris to recover the contents with further analysis taking place in Moroni.
Investigators hope the recorders will help them determine the cause of the plane crash which at this time remains unknown.
A teenage girl was the only survivor of the plane crash and her mother perished. Chief investigator, Mohamed Ali Abdu told Reuters that "bodies remain in the wreckage and recovery operations continue." Deep-water recovery specialists aboard the U.S. crewed EDT ARES ship recovered the black boxes and six bodies. There were 153 aboard Yemenia Flight 626 from France to Comoros.
Children's Hospital Gets State-of-the-art Medical Helicopter
Category: Helicopter News
Cook Children's Medical Center is nationally recognized as one of the top children's hospitals in the United States by providing care exclusively for the needs of children. It also has one of the largest pediatric transport programs in the nation, known as Teddy Bear Transport, which transports about 2,000 children a year, most for critical care.
Teddy Bear Transport will now add a state-of-the art American Eurocopter EC145 medical helicopter to its fleet which includes ambulance and fixed wing airplane transport. Teddy Bear's first helicopter came in 2004. The new EC145 not only upgrades Teddy Bear's fleet, it's becoming the choice for a growing number of other EMS operators both in the U.S. and around the world due to its combination of size, performance, and advanced technologies. The size of the cabin means better access to patients and that a parent can ride along with their child - and invaluable benefit.
Cook's Children's Teddy Bear Transport server the Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding area and was the first Texas neonatal transport service asked by the State of Texas to assist with Hurricane Rita evacuees in September.
NTSB Calls for Special Flight Rules after Helicopter/Plane Crash in NYC
Category: Helicopter Crashes
Several weeks after nine people were killed in a collision between a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane, the NTSB has urged the FAA to go beyond the voluntary procedures now in place for much of the low-altitude airspace over New York City.
In a letter to FAA chief Randy Babbit, the chairman of the NTSB has called for "special flight rules area" and new procedures that would force planes and helicopters to operate at separate altitudes. These safety steps have been taken in the airspace over Washington and LAX.
The letter also urged the FAA to direct air-traffic controllers to issue traffic warnings to small planes coming into the airspace over the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey; to speed up controller communications so planes can be cleared sooner for higher altitudes; to require controllers to instruct pilots to monitor the same radio frequency as the local helicopter pilots.
FAA spokesman, Laura Brown, has declined to comment on the NTSB recommendations, but stated the FAA would respond within 90 days. The NTSB does not have the authority to enact rules, all it can do is recommend to the FAA which sometimes adopts the recommendations.
The FAA has been studying the airspace over Manhattan's West Side and will deliver it's findings and recommendations to Mr. Babbit. A fatal crash in 2006 led the FAA to adopt restrictions on small planes flying over the East River.
Frieda wonders why the restrictions weren't also applied to this area of the Hudson when they were applied to the East River. The same airspace crowding existed. Why did the FAA have to wait for nine people to be killed before they addressed the same situation on a different river?
Helicopter/Airplane Mid-air Collision in Germany Leaves Four Dead
Category: Helicopter Crashes
Four people have died as the result of an air collision between a Robinson R-44 helicopter and a Reims-Cessna F182Q Skylane tourism plane near Stuttgart, Germany, on August 23.
The incident happened near an airfield with 1,000 people waiting for a festival. There were no injuries to those on the ground.
The helicopter crashed to the ground and burst into flames after the collision, killing all four people on board. The plane's pilot was able to glide the plane in for an emergency landing after the motor quit. He survived but has serious injuries.
A similar incident happened on August 8 over the Hudson River in New York City.
Legal Action Sought Against Air France After Deadly Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crash Lawsuits
The family of a French flight attendant who perished in the June 1 Air France flight plane crash off the coast of Brazil is the second to seek legal action against the airline. The Airbus 330 was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board and making it the deadliest accident in the French airline's history.
The attorney for the flight attendant's family is seeking to have Air France placed under formal investigation before the company meets with the families of the victims for the fourth time on Sept. 24. The family wants answers as to what caused the plane crash.
Investigators suspect faulty speed sensor readings are a factor, but doubt it they were the only cause of the plane crash. On July 31, Air France said it would replace some of the sensors of its A330s and A340s.
The search for the flight recorders has been stopped by the French submarines and the wreckage has not been located.
With 28 years of experience in aviation law, including handling crashes internationally, Crouse Law Offices in Raleigh, N.C. will be able to handle your concerns competently and efficiently. The successful career of Crouse Law Offices has gained them the respect of major law firms and large aviation manufacturers.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a helicopter or plane incident, please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us online for a free review of your case.
Blackhawk Helicopter Crashes in Colorado
Category: Helicopter Crashes
Four people are dead after a military Blackhawk helicopter from Fort Campbell Kentucky crashed near the top of Mount Massive, one of Colorado's highest mountains, on Wednesday.
The helicopter, assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, was conducting a training exercise when it struck about 400 feet from the top of the 14,200 foot mountain. It is not known why the soldiers were conducting the maneuvers in Colorado nor how long they were training in the region. Workers building trails in the area heard the crash about 2pm, but did not see it.
The 160th soldiers are known as "night stalkers" because they specialize in nighttime operations. The MH-60 Blackhawk is frequently used of overt and covert infiltration missions. It is also used for rescue and medical evocations, carrying supplies to special operations forces. When armed, it is used for armed escort and fire support.
The cause of the crash has not been released.