Another Texas aviation accident has officials looking for a cause

When a car crashes on a Texas highway, the cause of the accident is usually readily apparent. The driver says he or she was going too fast for the weather conditions, or an animal darted across the highway in the path of the vehicle. The immediate aftermath of a plane crash or helicopter accident frequently has officials awaiting the results of an investigation before assigning cause or blame.

Such is the situation representatives of the Texas Department of Public Safety find themselves in following the emergency landing of a private twin-engine plane in a grassy area next to a road. The 63-year-old pilot and his two passengers were taken to a local hospital for medical treatment of their accident injuries. 

When aircraft fall from the sky or crash-land along a highway, most speculation immediately turns to pilot error or an aircraft operations failure caused by a maintenance issue. There are any number of things that can go wrong including equipment issues, dangerous weather conditions and unpredictable terrain that could come into play without pilot error being a factor.  

Obtaining compensation for passengers and others who suffer accident injuries in an aviation accident requires knowledge of aircraft operations that not all attorneys possess. Understanding the contributing causes of a fatal helicopter crash or a fatal aviation accident is important in determining whether a pilot, manufacturer or maintenance company might be at fault.

An attorney who understands aviation accident law and FAA regulations can be a good source of legal advice and information for a person injured in a helicopter crash or in a plane crash. An attorney with such a background is probably best suited to understand and interpret the findings of an accident investigation.

Source: NBCDFW, “Twin-Engine Plane Makes Crash Landing Along Texas Highway,” April 17, 2015