What Are the Causes of Aviation Accidents?
Although air travel is one of the safest travel conveniences of our time, accidents still do occur, and the injuries can be dangerous or fatal. Injuries that occur on airplanes could be caused by a wide range of errors and malfunctions.
Airplane injuries could still occur even if you haven’t left the ground. Among other things, aviation accidents may be caused by:
- Pilot error;
- Design defects;
- Mechanical failure and Manufacturing defects;
- Air traffic controller error;
- Maintenance negligence and failures;
- Corporate negligence of the airline;
- Sabotage; and
- Inclement weather.
- Pilot Error
Pilot error is considered the most common reason why aviation accidents occur. Approximately 80 percent of airplane accidents are due to human error. A pilot error is an accident where the pilot took action or made a decision that was the cause or contributing factor that led to the accident.
A pilot error also includes the pilot’s failure to make the correct decision or to take proper action during their responsibilities. Pilot fatigue is a contributing factor to pilot error.
- Design Defects
Airplanes must be designed to effectively carry the stresses of flight and to not cause injury. A design defect exists if a product fails to fulfill their intended purpose.
- Mechanical Failure and Manufacturing Defects
Mechanical failure is the cause of about 20 percent of all airplane accidents. A mechanical failure could be failure of landing gear, fuel leaks that could ignite and lead to fires mid-air, failure of de-icing equipment, electrical failures that impair the navigation system and other airplane controls, and engine failure which results in the airplane losing a large portion of the workload and power to keep it in the air.
- Air Traffic Controller Error
A short moment of inattention could lead to tragic results. An air traffic controller could be remotely negligent in the operation of an airplane when directing pilots on where to land on the runway, for example.
- Maintenance Negligence and Failures
Airline companies have been known to skip or delay necessary maintenance of airplanes in order to cut costs. An example of negligently maintaining an airplane is failing to undergo routine inspections. A discovery of a damaged part before an accident could prevent a devastating accident.
- Corporate Negligence of Airline
Airline companies are known to influence pilots and crew to make unsafe decisions to save money. These decisions put passengers at risk by doing the bare minimum to keep the airplane in the air, such as flying with the minimum amount of jet fuel.
- Sabotage
Sabotage accounts for less than 10 percent of all aviation accidents. However, sabotage incidents could be the most traumatizing. The hijacking of the September 11, 2001, airplanes is arguably the most notable sabotage in recent history.
- Inclement Weather
Despite what most may think, weather is not a major contributing factor to airplane accidents, with weather only accounting for approximately 12 percent of all incidents.
Benefits of Hiring a Philadelphia Airplane Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been harmed in an airplane accident, it would be wise to seek expert advice from an aviation lawyer.
Hiring an aviation accident lawyer will help you fight for the compensation you deserve. An aviation attorney in Philadelphia could help serve you by:
- Conducting an investigation in order to determine causation and fault;
- Aggressively pursuing negligent parties responsible
- Seeking compensation from parties who are liable for your injuries, including past and future medical and rehabilitative expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and pain and suffering (emotional turmoil); and
- Evaluating the value of your case by consulting with top aviation accident experts as well as medical professionals to ensure you are awarded the recovery you are entitled to.
If you are looking for legal advice on aircraft accident injuries in Philadelphia, PA, please contact our experienced lawyers. Sign up for a consultation and get help as soon as possible.
Common Aviation Accident Injuries in Philadelphia, PA
Victims of airplane accidents could sustain severe injuries taking months or even years to heal from. In addition to a painful recovery, these injuries often have lifelong consequences that could affect your ability to work and earn money in the future. An aviation lawyer in Philadelphia will help put a value to how much you should be compensated for your loss of ability to function the same as before the incident. Injuries sustained in an aviation accident include:
- Broken bones and fractures;
- Burns;
- Traumatic brain injuries;
- Neck and back injuries; and
- Emotional trauma (pain and suffering).
Liability in Aviation Accidents
Pennsylvania follows a modified comparative fault theory. Under modified comparative fault, a plaintiff’s contributory negligence will not be a bar to recovery, so long as he or she is not more than 51 percent at fault.
You need a skilled aviation attorney in Philadelphia to fight for your fair compensation resulting from injuries sustained in an aviation accident. An aviation attorney near you could help you reduce the burdens you are faced with after an accident by fighting for a complete compensation including everything you have experienced resulting from the accident.
A full compensation should include damages of past and future lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering, and the loss of the relationship if a loved one is fatally harmed in an airplane accident.
Aggressively advocating for your rights through a lawsuit also pushes airline companies to enhance their safety policies to prevent future incidents from occurring that could have been prevented.
If you or a loved one is injured or suffers fatal consequences as a result from an airplane injury, you can search for “attorneys near me” as a first step.
However, since plane crashes are relatively uncommon, you’ll want to have the utmost confidence in your legal team At The Law Offices of Samuel Fishman, we are ready to serve you throughout Pennsylvania for your personal injury and wrongful death needs. Contact us today by calling (215) 464-4600 or filling out the contact form.