Lawyers at Clifford Law Offices Have Handled Many National and International Crashes Involving Boeing Aircraft – Available to Speak on Pertinent Issues Regarding Safe Landings, Pilot Training and Systems Failures. The crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in San Francisco brings up numerous legal issues involving the safety of the Boeing aircraft as well as what goes on in the cockpit during the very critical phase of landing. There have been problems in the past that have been sorted out through litigation in the courts.
Robert Clifford and Kevin Durkin, partners at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago, were lead counsel in the Alaska Air crash of Flight 241 that crashed in the Pacific Ocean in 2000. Clifford Law Offices also took the lead on the 2009 Turkish Airlines crash upon landing in The Netherlands’ near Schiphol Airport that involved a faulty altimeter in a Boeing 737 Aircraft. Clifford Law Offices also represents five families in the Boeing 737 Caribbean Airlines Flight 523 crash that overran the runway at Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Guyana in 2011.
Currently, we are preparing for a trial on liability next year on the Colgan Air crash in Buffalo, New York, in 2009 that deals with training issues. Many issues immediately come to mind regarding the latest crash in San Francisco regarding the Boeing 777. Crew fatigue and the culture or protocol in the cockpit will be examined in addition to who was actually flying the approach and how much automation that is available on the plane was relied upon. Pilot training issues again may arise as well as system performance issues that could involve Boeing, a company based in Chicago.
The short landing in Asiana Airlines Flight 214 could be the result of a number of factors, alone or in combination including:
1) failure to maintain appropriate airplane glide path to the desired touchdown point due to inappropriate flight control inputs including those for engine thrust, pitch attitude and airspeed;
2) airplane systems failures including engines, engine control systems, flight control systems, radio altimeters and other systems, leading to factor #1;
3) pilot performance failures, including inadequate management of engine thrust, pitch attitude and airspeed, as well as dealing with any systems failures, leading to factor #1;
4) distractions from possible late runway changes due to air traffic control instructions, leading to factors #1 and #3 above.
Attorneys at Clifford Law Offices have a great deal of experience with plane crashes involving the Boeing, particularly upon landing, and are available to speak to the press regarding pertinent issues regarding Saturday’s crash of Asiana Airlines in San Francisco.
To speak with one of the partners, please call Clifford Law Offices’ Pamela Menaker at 847-251-4877 or 847-721-0909 or 312-899-9090 or pammenaker@cliffordlaw.com