Aviation Accident Lawyers

Aviation Accidents

The public will soon have greater access to on-line information about the flight paths of general aviation aircraft, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today.

Washington, DC (FAA) - The change will be effective 60 days from publication in the Federal Register. Operators of general aviation aircraft no longer will be able to cite privacy as a reason to prevent the public from viewing their flight information on Internet sites that show the registration number, flight path, departure point and destination, and flight length for all aircraft operations over the United States.  In the future, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will block public viewing of this information only after the operators certify that they have a valid security concern.  As before, neither the sites nor the aircraft owner or operator will disclose the identity of persons on the flight, the purpose of the flight or the reason for the security concern.

California Aviation Accident Lawyers

POINT MUGU, California - (LAL) - A Boeing 707 air refuelling tanker crashed near Point Mugu Naval Air Station in Ventura County about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The tanker, believed to be carrying nearly 150,000 pounds of jet fuel, skidding off a runway and burst into flames during a failed take-off attempt just before 5:30 p.m.

The aircraft, a Boeing 707-368C manufactured in 1977, is registered to Wilmington Trust Company in Delaware, but according to news sources is operated by Alexandria, Virginia-based Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc., which contracts to provide fleet operations support and fuel transport services to the Navy.

A temporary flight restriction issued after the crash required other aircraft in the vicinity to maintain a distance of at least 5 miles while several firefighting agencies worked to extinguish the blaze. Three civilian employees on board the aircraft escaped with minor injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the cause of the crash.

Alaska Aviation Accident Lawyers

The National Transportation Safety Board plans to release its probable cause findings next month.

Washington (NTSB) - The National Transportation Safety Board has released hundreds of pages of documents from its investigation into the August 9 plane crash in southwest Alaska that killed former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and four others. The documents examine several possible contributing factors ranging from the influences of weather at the time of the crash, medical history of the pilot, and analysis of mechanical findings related to the aircraft itself.

Aviation Accidents

“We are taking important steps today that will make a real difference in fighting air traffic controller fatigue.  But we know we will need to do more.  This is just the beginning,” - Randy Babbitt, FAA Administrator

Washington, DC (FAA) – Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt announced today that he is prohibiting scheduling practices that have been identified as those most likely to result in air traffic controller fatigue. The changes will be effective within 72 hours. Discussions with the National Air Traffic Controllers Union (NATCA) are underway and more details will be released soon.

“We are taking swift action to ensure the safety of our aviation system,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “There is no excuse for air traffic controllers to be sleeping on the job. We will do everything we can to put an end to this.”

Arizona Aviation Accident Lawyers

According to an article published by The Arizona Republic, Arizona plane crashes are outpacing the U.S. average. This is not new-- according to the article, "only one year since 2002 has Arizona been below the national crash rate among non-commercial and non-military flights. Typically, the state's fatal crash rate, measured by deadly crashes per 100,000 hours of flight, is well above the U.S. average." The higher crash and fatality rate may be attributable to several factors, including Arizona's hot climate and mountainous terrain.

Alabama Aviation Accident Lawyers

Two people were killed when a Beechcraft Duke fixed wing, twin-engine aircraft crashed at approximately 1:30 PM in the Ashbury subdivision near County Line Road and Palmer Road about a half-mile north of Huntsville International Airport. The plane took off from the airport after landing for fuel while en route from Boca Raton, Florida to Nashville, Tennessee. The pilot of the aircraft issued a distress call shortly after take-off. Witnesses on the ground say the plane caught fire after the crash. Two victims aboard the aircraft have not been identified. No one on the ground was injured.