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CESSNA 182 CRASH NEAR HARNETT COUNTY AIRPORT, NORTH CAROLINA

National Transportation Safety Board investigators will be on scene today at the site of the tragic crash near the Harnett County (NC) Regional Jetport.  Although too early to speculate on the cause of the crash, this type of crash, a night-time approach-to-landing accident, will result in the NTSB focusing on the following areas while trying to answer the main question of why was the Cessna 182 low enough to clip trees a mile from the airport?

Any night approach to landing crash in which an aircraft crashes short of the runway leads to concerns about “spatial disorientation.”  This can be caused by lack of light in remote areas which causes pilots on visual flight rules (VFR) flights—meaning not being directed and monitored by Air Traffic Control and flying by instruments—to lose reference to visual cues which keep them safe.  If this happens, a pilot can become disoriented and lose his or her ability to fly the aircraft safely.

Also to be investigated is whether the aircraft sustained some sort of mechanical problem that caused the aircraft to lose power.  The NTSB will be looking at potential engine mechanical problems.

Another consideration is some type of control malfunction which prevented the pilot from being able to control the aircraft.  The NTSB will look at all control linkages, pulleys and cables.

Another potentiality is fuel exhaustion.  It is not inconceivable that after a long cross-country flight the aircraft could have run out of fuel.  The NTSB will be checking departure airport records and any en route stops to see if the aircraft took on fuel and, if so, how much.

The degree of damage seen on aerial photographs initially indicates an impact with considerable force which could indicate powered flight.

James T. Crouse
CROUSE LAW OFFICES
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Lawsuit Follows Truckee Tahoe Airport Crash

A negligence lawsuit has been filed by a 15 year-old girl because of injuries she suffered in a 2009 plane crash at the Truckee, Nevada airport.

On Sept. 7, 2009, the then 14 year-old girl was flying from Truckee to San Jose with her friend in a plane piloted by her friend’s parents. The lawsuit claims the pilots of the Cessna P206B filled the plane with an excessive amount of fuel – because fuel is cheaper in Truckee than in San Jose – and therefore made the plane too heavy for takeoff.

The young girl suffered multiple injuries including her back broken in six places and a brain hemorrhage with a concussion.  She continues to suffer from her injuries.

One of the pilots, now a paraplegic from the crash, claims they were not “tankering” fuel to save money and that she had planned the flight including the weight of the fuel.  Her daughter and her husband also suffered injuries in the crash.

The lawsuit claims the pilots disregard for the high-density altitude or “thin air” was the major cause of the crash.

The amount of damages asked requested for personal injury has not been released.

Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit In Tesla Motor Co. Plane Crash

The family of a Tesla Motors employee who died in a plane crash in East Palo Alto has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the pilot’s estate.

The parents of the 31-year-old Tesla electrical engineer died in February when the Cessna 310 in which he was a passenger hit high-tension power lines and a 60 foot transmission tower shortly after takeoff.  The plane’s owner/pilot and a senior manager at the electrical car manufacturer were also killed in the crash.

The lawsuit accuses the pilot of negligence for taking off in heavy fog.  Air traffic controllers warned the pilot twice that because of the heavy fog, taking off was “at his own risk.”  Shortly after takeoff, the pilot banked left instead of right as he had been instructed by the controllers.

NTSB has not released a final report concerning the plane crash.

Tesla Motors Wrongful Death Lawsuit

As wrongful death attorneys, Crouse Law Offices have experience dealing with the grief and confusion a family feels following the unexpected and unnecessary death of a loved one.  It is difficult for family to maneuver through the maze of legalities while mourning the loss of their loved one, especially when the death is that of a young father and husband. Please feel free contact us at jtc@crouselaw.com or call us at 1-919-861-0500.

UPS Chartered Plane Crashes – 3 Killed

The Philippines is the site of a UPS chartered cargo plane crash on Wednesday which killed three employees. The plane carried three crew members and three off-duty airline employees.

The public relations manager for Louisville-base UPS Airlines announced the Russian-made Antonov-12 aircraft was owned by Interisland Airlines. The plane was flying an inter-Philippines route when a fire broke out and the plane crashed before it could make an emergency landing.

UPS Airlines is a division of Atlanta-based UPS and charters planes around the world where it does not hold operating rights or where its aircraft are too large to service certain airports.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your airline safety concerns. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an airline accident , please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

UPS Charter Plane Crash

American Airlines Overshot Runway In Jamaica

According to Jamaica’s Civil Aviation Authority, the American Airlines Boeing 737 that crash-landed at the international airport in Kingston overshot the runway. The flight originated at Washington’s Regan National Airport and has stopped in Miami, Florida before traveling on to Jamaica.

The airliner was going about 300 kilometers (about 186 miles) per hour when its wheels touched the runway and then bounced as it tried to stop. The crash-landing caused the fuselage to crack open and the engines to detach from the aircraft on impact.

Several of the 154 passengers and crew were injured, but there were no fatalities in the incident.

American Airline Crash