Helicopter and Plane Crash Lawyer
No Debris from 447 Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
According to ABC News, despite earlier reports that debris from the Air France plane that disappeared on May 31 has been found, no debris has yet been recovered.
Brazilian military officials have said the debris that has been found is not from the missing Airbus. Debris found so far included a cargo pallet which is now said not to be the type that was on the Air France flight, according to the Associated Press.
"No material from the flight was removed," Brazilian Air Force Gen. Ramon Cardoso said. "What we saw was debris that belonged to some aircraft that were left behind because we have a priority on the search [for] bodies. But so far, no piece of the aircraft has been found."
Cardosa also says the oil slick was "too much oil" to have belonged to 447. The authorities still believe they have located some of the plane's parts but have not yet pulled them out of the ocean.
To know what happened to this flight, it is crucial the plane's voice and data recorders - known as black boxed be found. Time is a factor - they are equipped with a device that emits sound to help in their recovery, but that sound will continue for only 30 days.
Airline Worker Helps Get Gun On Board Plane
Category: Airline Security
Frieda guesses it's not only the passengers who warrant more and more scrutiny. Frieda wonders what on earth goes through a person's mind . . .perhaps that's the answer right there. . .either there is no mental activity or there is no substantial arena in which the mental activity can perform.
Case in point: The FBI has charged an employee of US Airways with switching black carry-on bags with a passenger, his roommate, so the he could board a flight to Phoenix with a 9 mm weapon. The roommate was moving to Phoenix and wanted to take his gun with him, so his roommate, the airline employee, agreed to carry the bag through an employee entrance so it would not be screened by security. WHAT? After 9/11 and knowing how crafty, patient, and knowledgeable the terrorist were, we still don't screen employees? Unbelievable.
Perhaps this passenger was really wanting to just transport the weapon to his new home and meant no harm to the airline or its passengers - we won't ever know for sure, will we? But, what if . . . .?
Had it not been for an alert passenger who saw the switch and noticed the employee seemed "fidgety", this gun onboard the aircraft would have gone undetected.
Both men are in federal custody.
The Transportation Security Administration declined comment because of the FBI investigation. If it weren't for the investigation, what could they possibly say to cover this huge oversight in their screening/scanning process?
National Guard Helicopter Crashes
Category: Helicopter Crashes
An OH-58 helicopter flown by the Arkansas National Guard crashed June 4, seriously injuring one of its crew members.
The helicopter was based at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock. The chopper, carrying 3 crew members, went down about 1:22 pm after "experiencing mechanical failure, losing power, and autorotated into the Buffalo River." Because the chopper was equipped with a self-sealing fuel system, there was little concern about an oil spill in the river.
An Arkansas State Police spokesman confirmed the helicopter was carrying a Special Agent assigned to the department's Criminal Investigation Division. The helicopter was being used in a mission associated with and ongoing criminal investigation.
An OH-58D helicopter recently crashed in Honolulu, killing both men onboard.
The National Guard is investigating the helicopter crash.
$3 Million Settlement With FAA in Plane Crash Deaths
Category: Plane Crash Lawsuits
The family of a 47 year-old father and his daughter who died in a plane crash off the coase of Vilano Beach in 2005 has settled with the FAA for $3 million according to First Coast News. Two friends of the daughter were also on board at the time of the crash - one survived and one died later of hypothermia.
The lawsuit, "Tillman vs. U.S.A.", was filed in 2007 and charged a mistake was made by an FAA air traffic controller that led to the crash. Shortly after takeoff Tillman reported engine trouble and asked the controller to give him coordinates to land on a beach five miles away. Instead, the pilot was directed to continue on to the St. Augustine airport, 20 miles away. The plane never made it and crashed in 50 degree water off the shore of Vilano Beach, Florida.
The FAA will not comment on the case, but says a settlement has not been reached.
With 28 years of experience, Crouse Law Offices in Raleigh, N.C. will be able to handle your case competently and efficiently. You have the confidence of knowing you will always speak directly with the attorney representing you. The successful career of Crouse Law Offices has gained them the respect of major law firms and large aviation manufacturers. Please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us online.
Pilots Killed in Army Helicopter Crash
Category: Helicopter Crashes
Two army helicopter pilots were killed on Wednesday, May 27, at Wheeler Army Airfield in Honolulu. The two men were flying an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior when they did what is called a "hard" landing on the airfield.
A "hard' landing can be caused by weather conditions, mechanical problems, pilot decision or pilot error and usually implies the pilot has partial or total control over the aircraft.
The OH-58D is a single-engine, double rotor craft that was put into service in 1991 with its primary mission being in a scout-attack role.
The accident is under investigation and a team from the Combat Readiness Center in Fort Rucker, Alabama, will conduct an investigation.
Both men were Chief Warrant Officers who loved flying and the military.
Climb Aboard Liberty Helicopter Tours
Category: Helicopter News
If you happen to be in NYC, you might want to try a Liberty Helicopter tour of the city. While there is some history of tour helicopter crashes, Liberty has a good safety record and has been in business for 22 years.
Two facts that impresses Frieda the most is Liberty continuously receives the annual Safety Award from the Helicopter Association International and Liberty Helicopters is the founding member of T.O.P.S (Tour Operators Program of Safety) and is the ONLY helicopter in New York that is a member.
Their pilots receive annual recurrent Eurocopter factory training and all the crews are certified and inspected to meet the FAA standards.
Although Frieda isn't sure if she's ready for a helicopter tour of anything, Liberty does sound like a company she'd consider.
Air-France Jet Missing Over the Atlantic
Category: Aviation News
The flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris with 228 people on board is missing over the Atlantic Ocean. Once the Airbus 330-200, Air France Flight 447, lost contact with air traffic controllers, Brazil immediately began a search for the plane.
The flight left Rio de Janeiro around 7 p.m. (Rio time) on Sunday and contact was lost around 10:20 p.m. EDT Sunday. The flight was scheduled to land in Paris at 5:15 a.m. EDT.
New Safety Rules Coming for Medivac Helicopters...When?
Category: Helicopter Crashes
The flood of air ambulance helicopters crashes has finally gotten the attention of Congress. The FAA plans to introduce regulations intended to improve the safety of helicopter emergency medical services.
The new regulations will supposedly be ready for implementation in 2011 and be available for public comment by the end of this year or the beginning of 2010.
A step in the right direction, certainly. Why "steps?" Frieda wonders why "steps" are being taken when "leaps" to safety should happening right now - not in 2 years! How many more lives are going to be lost while the FAA compiles their list of thoughts, suggestions, and regulations? We already know what these should be from information gathered at the NTSB hearings, so why is it taking so long to do what we know needs to be done?
Continue reading "New Safety Rules Coming for Medivac Helicopters...When?"
Military Jet Crashes in California
Category: Plane Crashes
The second plane crash from Edwards Air Force Base in California happened on Thursday when a T-38 Talon went down nine miles north of the base. The military jet with two crew members on board was on a training mission. Neither the fate of the crew members nor the cause of the crash are known at this time.
On March 25, an Air Force F-22A Raptor crashed north of the base, killing a test pilot for Lockhead Martin Corp., a prime contractor for military planes.
Military Helicopter Crash Kills At Least Three
Category: Helicopter Crashes
Three bodies have been found and the search continues for two more in the aftermath of the crash of a HH-60 Seahawk off the coast of San Diego. The helicopter took off from the USS Nimitz late Tuesday for a routine training flight then went down near the Coronado Islands.
It isn't known if the Seahawk was equipped with a flight data recorder. Although not required equipment on many military aircraft, such devices record air speed, altitude, pitch and engine power which can be very helpful in determining the cause of and incident. Naval investigators spent months probing the crash involving a MH-60S Seahawk in 2007, but could not determine the cause of the crash because the helicopter didn't have a flight data recorder. The investigators urged the Navy to install the crash-resistant flight data recorders on all its aircraft.
This was the second military helicopter crash in the region this month. Two Marine pilots were killed on May 5 when their Super Cobra helicopter crashed over rugged terrain in Southern California.
The cause of the crash is not known at this time.
New TSA Rules
Category: Airline Travel
First it was removing your shoes and limiting the liquids you can carry-on . . .now it's your full middle name. When you fly within the U.S. you'll have to include your middle name if your passport or driver's license includes it and by December if you fly overseas.
This idea is supposed to make it easier for travelers, airlines, and TSA to avoid ID confusion and hassles at the airport. The new requirement was to become effective on May 15, but the TSA forgot to tell themselves about it or at least to prepare for it. It seems the TSA has to train its agents. Now Frieda wonders why this wasn't done prior to the May 15 effective date instead of pushing the "for real" effective date to August 15. Oh well. . .
Back to the new TSA rules. After August 15, if your boarding pass does not exactly match the name on your driver's license or passport, you might not get kicked off your flight, but you will probably get kicked out of the security line while agents perform background checks.
If you have booked a flight and your name doesn't match your identification, call the airline - most will let you change the name on your boarding pass to make sure you don't have delays when you get to the airport.
NTSB Releases Probably Cause In Colorado Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Two people escaped injury in February when the single-engine plane crashed while attempting to take off at Centennial Airport in Colorado. Centennial is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country.
The pilot was 8-10 feet in the air when the wind caught the plane and caused it to crash nose first onto the runway - the landing gear appeared crumpled. The airport was reporting 40 mph wind gusts at the time of the crash.
The NTSB's probable cause report determined the pilot failed to maintain control during taxi and the gusty winds as a contributing factor.
Lawsuit Filed in Medical Helicopter Crash
Category: Helicopter Crash Lawsuits
A flight nurse and two other people were killed on August 31, 2008, when the rotor came off the Bell 206 Longranger helicopter before crashing in Indiana, killing all on board. A lawsuit has been filed in Marion Superior Court on behalf of the flight nurse's two children, ages 8 and 10.
The lawsuit names Rolls-Royce, the helicopter's engine maker; Decatur County REMC, the utility responsible for maintaing power lines in the area; Rush Memorial Hospital, which dispatched the helicopter; and Bell Helicopter Textron, the manufacturer of the rotor, as defendants. Bell Helicopter is accused of selling the rotor blades in defective condition and accuses Rush Memorial of sending the helicopter on a non-emergency mission, failing to develop flight-risk evaulation programs, and dispatching the helicopter on an unsafe flight path.
The NTSB is still investigating what caused the rotor blades to break in the crash.
Crouse Law Offices in Raleigh, N.C. has 28 years of experience they are able to handle your case competently and efficiently and you always speak directly with the attorney representing you. The successful career of Crouse Law Offices has gained them the respect of major law firms and large aviation manufacturers. Please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us online.
Bell's Historic Huey Helicopter Makes Final Flight
Category: Helicopter News
The last of the Bell Huey helicopters operated by the U.S. Navy continued to make history on May 7 when it made it's final flight and landed at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. The Huey HH-IN had been used as a rescue helicopter, but was removed from service and loaned to the park as a static display by the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola. It will be housed in the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion and it will be returned to it's familiar green and white color scheme.
Continue reading "Bell's Historic Huey Helicopter Makes Final Flight"
Plane Crash Victim Survived Two Helicopter Crashes
Category: Plane Crashes
Dayton National Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio, was the final resting place of a Vietnam War veteran who died in the February crash that killed 50 near Buffalo, N.Y.
The veteran had twice survived being shot down in helicopters while serving in Vietnam. What a horribly turn of events. In Vietnam, he knew the enemy, was shot at, he survived. Back home, where he thought he was safe, his life was lost due to cost cutting policies by an airline he trusted. It took almost three months for his remains to be identified and shipped home.
His daughter is angry after hearing testimony last week in front of the NTSB. To have a father return from hazardous duty fighting a war, only to die due to pilot fatigue and incompetence.
Plane Crash in Buffalo - Are Regional Jets Safe?
Category: Plane Crashes
This is a question raised by The Buffalo News and one that should get our attention.
Last week the NTSB held hearings on the deadly crash in February of Flight 3407 near Buffalo. It was a bad week for Continental Connection flight using Colgan Air - the information gleaned from the hearings caused a congressional bipartisan outrage.
Continue reading "Plane Crash in Buffalo - Are Regional Jets Safe?"
Captain Faulted in Buffalo Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
The captain of the Buffalo plane crash in February that killed all on board was essentially not capable of flying that plane.
It is now being reported by the Wall Street Journal the captain had flunked numerous flight tests during his career and was never adequately taught how to respond to the emergency that led to the plane's fatal descent, killing 50 people. He was never trained how to prevent the plane from going into a stall - in fact, he did just the opposite of what he was supposed to do. He had only 109 hours experience flying the Q400 - an extremely short time by industry standards.
Plane Crashes That Changed History
Category: Plane Crashes
Flying in a commercial airliner is very safe - more than 30,000 flight took off daily in 2007 with only one disaster. When tragedy does happen and a plane crash happens, investigators sift through the wreckage and exam the cockpit recorders - everything in their power to answer the question we all ask. . ."WHY?"
Through these investigations, crucial safety improvements are made that make each flight a bit safer for us. Here are some of the flights that made a difference in aviation today.
Super Puma Helicopters Inspected After Crashes
Category: Helicopter Crashes
Two models of Super Puma helicopters have begun a program of inspection and modification following the recommendations of the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch. The twenty-five Super Puma AS332L2 and EC225LP will not fly until all the epicyclic gear box modules have been fully inspected and modified.
This follows a deadly helicopter crash that killed 16 people in the North Sea on April 1. It was the second Puma crash in the North Sea this year. After the crashes, an Airworthiness Directive by the European Aviation Safety Agency and an Alert Service Bulletin by the manufacturer, Eurocopter were issued.
AAIB Reports Cause of Helicopter Crash in Scotland
Category: Helicopter Crashes
The initial report on the cause of the helicopter crash of a Super Puma, with 14 passengers and two crew members in the North Sea on April 1, has been released . The helicopter crashed as it returned from a BP oil field about 165 miles of the northeast coast of Scotland. All 16 on board were killed.
A "catastrophic failure" that led to the aircrafts main rotor breaking away is believed to be the cause of the helicopter crash. In the initial report, the Air Accidents Investigation Board (AAIB) said the failure occurred in part of the helicopter's main gearbox. The rotor broke off, hitting and severing the aircraft's tail boom. There was also a rupture in the right-hand engine casing.
Continue reading "AAIB Reports Cause of Helicopter Crash in Scotland"
Plane Crashes Into School Yard
Category: Plane Crashes
Wednesday morning the children of Villa de Paz Elementary School in Phoenix, was surprised to see a plane crash into their playground. There were no injuries and no damage to the school.
The flight school single-engine Cessna 152 was flown by a flight instructor and a student. The FAA reports the instructor reported engine trouble and was trying to return to the air field, but didn't think they could make it back and decided to land in the school's field. The plane apparently hit a chain-link fence surrounding the school and crashed with it's nose stuck into the grass.
Small Plane Crashes at Camp Pendleton
Category: Plane Crashes
Federal inspectors are still investigating the cause of a small plane crash on March 7 at Camp Pendleton in California. The pilot, known to be safe and conservative, was flying to Mexico for dinner when his plane crashed with two passengers on board near a helicopter pad at the base.
According to witnesses, the Cessna seemed to be having engine trouble before it crashed, sustaining most of the damage on the right side and losing its tail on impact. One passenger has been released from the hospital, one remains in critical condition, and the pilot's condition has been upgraded to fair.
The NTSB will release a preliminary report in a few days.
NY Plane Crash Investigation Reveals More Information
Category: Plane Crashes
Since the investigators have been able to get onto the site of the devastating plane crash outside Buffalo, NY they have been able to recover the steering column, propellers, and parts that protect the tail from icing. It took only seconds for the Colgan Air aircraft to fall out of the sky but those few seconds were full of fear for those board the plane with its violently pitching and rolling before dropping to the ground killing all on board and one person on the ground.
Although the NTSB states there are just so many unknowns in this plane crash, it could be months before the actual cause can be determined.
Icing is thought to be the cause, but this has not been confirmed. Pilot error could also be a cause since the plane was on autopilot when it crashed.
Continue reading "NY Plane Crash Investigation Reveals More Information"
Stunt Man Dies in Florida Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
A nationally known stunt pilot was one of two people killed Monday when the single engine plane he was flying crashed in Dade City, Fl. The MX-2 aerobatic plane was owned by the pilot, Paul Lopez, and crashed shortly after take-off.
Lopez routinely practiced his aerobatics over the orange groves in the area and the neighbors often watched him perform. On the day of the crash, one witness is quoted as saying, "He did two loop-de-loops then leveled off. Then he went straight up in the air, over the cloud and came back down. He started spinning and went straight down. The plane just burst into flames. They didn't have a chance."
Another witness said it sounded like Lopez cut the engine and couldn't restart it when he cut the engine to do the spin and dive maneuver.
The NTSB plans to release their preliminary report, based on an investigation bythe FAA, in about 10 days.
50 Perish In Buffalo, NY Plane Crash
Category: Plane Crashes
Last night ended two and a half years of crash free aviation in the US. At about 10:20 pm ET time Continental Connection Flight 3407 carrying 49 passengers and crew crashed into a home in Clarence NY just 5 miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. One man in the home was killed while his wife and daughter escaped the home with minor injuries.