Category Archives: Aviation News

Avoiding the Rush to Judgment in General Aviation Accident Cases According to the very brief NTSB Preliminary Report: On March 16, 2011, at 1029 Pacific daylight time, a Beech “King Air” 200, N849BM, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during takeoff from Long Beach Airport (LGB), Long Beach, California. The commercial pilot and… Read More »

For Immediate Release March 10, 2004 Contact: Clay Robbins, III – (310) 553-6630 Magaña, Cathcart & McCarthy (MC&M), a law firm specializing in aviation liability cases, announced today that the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Olympic Airways vs. Husain has given a boost to the firm’s efforts to make international air carriers liable… Read More »

In 1997, the deregulation of the airline industry is a fait accompli, and the deregulated air carriers now fly the vagaries of the marketplace. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 ("ADA") abandoned industry-wide fare structures, altered the procedures for entry into new markets, and phased out the Civil Aeronautics Board. Understandably, Congress was concerned… Read More »

by Charles M. Finkel, Esq. I had been the proverbial ostrich, with my head stuck far into the sand, when the head of a charitable flying organization gave me a call a few days ago. He questioned me about an article he had read concerning the legality of pilots flying charity missions. The article… Read More »

LOS ANGELES JURY SLAPS AVIATION INSURER WITH BAD-FAITH VERDICT OF $1.8 MILLION COMPENSATORY AND $7.2 MILLION IN PUNITIVE DAMAGES Last Friday a Los Angeles jury returned a verdict against an aviation insurer for over $9 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The jury in the case entitled National Test Pilot School, et al., vs.… Read More »

The Accident An experienced pilot and co-pilot are at the controls of a DC-9 as it approaches an international airport during a violent thunderstorm. The aircraft is carrying 52 passengers and a crew of five. The weather is typically hot and muggy for the time of year. The captain’s decision to proceed with the… Read More »

By William H. Wimsatt Exposure to wires, antennas or other obstructions to air navigation generally occurs within and around the airport environment for airplanes. For agricultural aircraft they are a fact of life; and wire strikes are the No. 1 cause of helicopter accidents. Historically, pilots have borne the brunt of responsibility for wire… Read More »

By William H. Wimsatt The September 11, 2001 air tragedies involving four airliners which were hijacked and then used as human bombs on the Trade Center buildings and Pentagon will cause all of us to re-think air travel security. The people in a position to bear this responsibility most effectively are those both on… Read More »

Written by Anne M. Huarte for trial attorneys and partners, William H. Wimsatt and Peter T. Cathcart of: MAGAÑA, CATHCART & McCARTHY 1801 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 810 Los Angeles, California 90067-5899 (310) 553-6630 mcmc-law.com Presented by William H. Wimsatt Introduction In this air tragedy case, Article 28 of the Warsaw Convention prevented… Read More »

The tragic aircrash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, a Boeing (nee McDonnell-Douglas-83) aircraft, on 31 January 2000 has received considerable scrutiny from the news media, as reports of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into the cause of the accident and other civil investigations unrelated to this aircrash and pertaining to maintenance practices… Read More »

By Charles M. Finkel, Esq. As can be seen by the recent crash of Singapore Airlines Flight 006, no matter how safe airline travel has become, there are occasional accidents which tragically alter the lives of innocent passengers and their families. It may be months before the causal chain of events leading to Flight… Read More »

Air France Disaster Worst Commercial Airline Crash Since 2001 On Wednesday, June 3 Air France CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon privately met with family members of Flight 447 and confirmed fears that all 228 people on board perished. Gourgeon indicated that the plane either broke apart in the air or on impact with the ocean, and… Read More »

Singapore Airlines, Flight 006 Alaska Airlines, Flight 261 Korean Airlines, Flight 801 Airport and In-Fight Security: Who is Responsible? Update: Wire Strikes Do I Have a Right to Recover? $9 Million Bad Faith Verdict The FAA’s Charitable Contributions to Charity The Airline Employee Protection Act: Yet Another Paper Tiger Offered up by Congress Press… Read More »

Catalina Island Helicopter Crash Leaves 3 Dead, 3 Injured A chartered helicopter from Long Beach-based Island Express crashed on Catalina Island on Saturday, May 24th, killing the pilot and two passengers. The pilot of the Eurocopter AS-350 has been identified as 33 year-old Emeric Maillet of Lakewood. Colleagues of one of the passengers identified… Read More »

Medical Helicopter Crash in Texas Leads to Loss of Four Lives A PHI Medical Air helicopter crashed 70 miles from Houston, Texas, killing all four people on board. The helicopter departed Huntsville Memorial Hospital bound for Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston when it missed a check-in with dispatch just two minutes after take-off. The… Read More »

Magaña, Cathcart & McCarthy Retained in MedFlight Helicopter Crash Magaña, Cathcart & McCarthy is privileged to announce that the firm has been retained by Stacey Bean, M.D. and her two children to represent them in a claim against those responsible for the May 10, 2008 helicopter crash in which her husband, 37 year-old physician… Read More »

Nine Firefighters Die, Four Injured in Helicopter Crash near ReddingBy Carter P. Spohn Nine firefighters died and four others were seriously injured on August 5th when a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter crashed in remote Trinity County, northwest of Redding. The chopper was carrying 11 firefighters and 2 crew members to battle a blaze in a… Read More »

Continental Express Flight Crashes Near Buffalo, New York Continental Express flight number 3407 bound for Buffalo, New York from Newark, New Jersey crashed into a home in Clarence Center, New York at approximately 10:10pm on February 12, 2009. According to FAA officials, the flight was a commuter plane with 44 passengers and 4 crew… Read More »

South Carolina Learjet Crash Kills Four, Seriously Injures Two A chartered Learjet 60 carrying two crew members and four passengers crashed during takeoff from Columbia, South Carolina on September 18. Killed in the crash were the pilot, Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, Calif.; co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, Calif.; Chris Baker, 29,… Read More »