An investigation is under way into an air crash that left six people, including three children, dead when a light aircraft crashed in the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix, Arizona (AZ), on November 24, 2011. The Tucson Citizen reported that early indications may point to pilot error as the cause of the accident.
According to the local sheriff, there was no indication that the plane was in any distress or that the pilot had not radioed controllers about any problem, the London Evening Standard reported. The sheriff said it was dark at the time of the accident, and the plane missed clearing the peak by just a few hundred feet.
Our thoughts are with the victims of this terrible tragedy. As experienced Virginia (VA) mass transit accident injury attorneys, my colleagues and I report on a considerable number of plane crashes. In many cases there are no survivors, and pilot error accounts for many of these crashes.
Recently, questions about the training and qualifications of the pilot of a Colgan Air plane that crashed near Buffalo, New York (NY), in 2009, were raised by attorneys during wrongful death lawsuits brought by family members of the victims. That crash claimed the lives of 50 people.
Pilot error is a very common cause of air crashes. In fact, crashes due to pilot errors account for half of all fatal commercial airline accidents since 1950. Numerous crashes of light aircraft and helicopters, including the recent crash of a helicopter in New York’s East River in October 2011 that caused the death of a holidaymaker.
When pilot error is to blame, there can be grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit. To lean more, read this FAQ about when to file a claim following a bus train, cruise ship or airplane accident.
DM