Cases

Aviation

PIERARD v. AEROSPATIALE, et al

$8.3 Million Verdict

A helicopter pilot who suffered serious injuries in a crash filed suit against the manufacturer in a case involving a defect in the fuel filter design. The verdict was reduced to $6 million and the case was settled on appeal.

DOE v. ROE

$5 Million Settlement

A passenger was seriously injured flying back to Florida from a job interview in North Carolina arranged by the defendant company. The defendant pilot failed to lower landing gear and the plane skidded down a 60-foot embankment, leaving the plaintiff partially paralyzed.

SANZETENEA/MERCADO/FLORES v. RAM

$3.9 Million Settlement

Just after take-off, a Cessna 340 aircraft crashed in Bolivia due to loss of power to the left engine. The plane's left wingtip hit the ground, causing the injuries and deaths of the plaintiffs, which included the pilot. The engine failure was a result of a loose nut in the fuel manifold holding the diaphragm, allowing fuel to leak. The defendant company was found negligent in the overhaul and maintenance of the engine that failed.

CARSON v. McDONNELL DOUGLAS HELICOPTER CORPORATION

$2.15 Million Settlement

A 1969 Hughes OH-6A Army surplus helicopter crashed into the roof of a building in Fort Myers, Florida, seriously injuring its pilot. The pilot lost control of the helicopter when the lateral control rod separated from its rod end due to fretting of the rod's aluminum threads. In 1996, the helicopter and its control rods had been refurbished and modified by a third party. The modification exacerbated the tendency of the threads in the joint to wear away, causing the component separation and resulting crash.

MORGAN v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$1.9 Million Settlement

The pilot of single-engine general aviation aircraft in Tallahassee, Florida, was killed in a crash caused by negligent air traffic control services and a failed engine. The surviving spouse received the settlement.

SADOWSKI v. STATE OF FLORIDA

$1.6 Million Verdict / Claims Bill

William E. Sadowski, Secretary of the Florida Department of Community Affairs, was killed in a state-owned-and-operated plane on his way to deliver a speech. The case involved workers' compensation and liability issues against the state, and the jury verdict of $1 million was increased to $1.6 million in a claims bill with legislation.

JOHN DOE v. X AIRLINES

$1.6 Million Settlement

This action was brought about on behalf of the victim in a fatal plane crash. The victim's survivors included her husband, infant daughter and parents, who were compensated for pain and suffering, loss of support and loss of parental guidance.

WOODS v. NOVA COMPANIES BELIZE

$1.4 Million Settlement

The plaintiff was a passenger who suffered multiple injuries and was badly burned over most of his body, leaving disfiguring scars, after the defendant's aircraft crashed in Costa Rica.

DOCTOR v. PARDUE & EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

$1.25 Million Verdict

Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and an air show flight leader were found partially liable for a plane crash that occurred at the EAA's "AirVenture" Air Show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1999. The crash left the pilot from Dallas, Texas, with significant spinal cord damage rendering him a quadriplegic.

MINTZ v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$1.1 Million Settlement

The plaintiff and her husband, who was flying an Aero Commander aircraft, were killed in a crash caused by adverse weather conditions. The air traffic controller who handled the traffic in and out of the airport where the aircraft took off did not inform the plaintiff of the adverse weather conditions along the flight route.

PIERCE v. XYZ COMPANY

$1.1 Million Settlement

The plaintiff was a well-respected news cameraman/cinematographer who died in the crash of a helicopter while covering a news story.

SHEPHERD v. POMPANO AIR CENTER

$1.1 Million Settlement

The pilot of a Russian-made aerobatic Sukhoi aircraft died in a Louisiana crash after the elevator control system disconnected in flight, causing the plane to plummet several thousand feet. The defendant assembled, equipped and sold the aircraft.