Do You Have a Medical Malpractice Case?

Posted on: 7 September 2017

Many airplane accidents are caused by pilot errors. Pilot errors come in different ways some of which may not be obvious to a non-pilot. Here are some common categories of pilot errors, and how they may lead to airplane accidents:

Using the Wrong or Inadequate Skills

Piloting an aircraft requires a reasonable level of skill, most of it obtained via learning and experience. For example, a pilot needs to know how to retract the landing gear, descend, ascend or increase the aircraft sped before taking off. Making an error on any of these skills can easily result in an accident. For example, a pilot who confuses the controls and fails to descend the landing gear in time can cause a crash during the landing stage.

Violating Safety Rules

The air transport industry has its safety rules just like other transportation industries. There are rules for taking off, landing, altitude, pilot training, and even maintenance of planes. Any crew who violates one or more of these rules becomes liable for the ensuing damages.

Making on Error of Perception

Contemporary flying involves considerable electronics. Unfortunately, electronics can fail and leave a pilot to fly blind, so to speak. If that happens, the pilot needs to "read" the weather, decent rate, speed, altitude and related parameters that are usually electronically computed. Clearly, a pilot can easily cause an accident if they perceive the situation erroneously.

Making the wrong decision

Flying calls for a lot of decisions and most of them essential to safe flying. A pilot needs to know when the weather is too dangerous to fly, what to do during a storm, how to react to an equipment failure and such like things. For example, making the wrong decision when one of the engines fails in a multi-engine aircraft can be the difference between a rough landing and a fatal accident. In the case of such an accident, the court will determine what a reasonable pilot would have done in a similar situation to decide whether the pilot was negligent.

If you have been injured in an airplane accident caused by a crew error, the crew, aircraft airline or airplane operator may be liable for your damages. In some cases, the liability for the accident may be shared between two or more of these people. For example, both the pilot and their employer may be liable for your damages if it is confirmed that the pilot wasn't qualified to fly the plane. Consult a personal injury lawyer to help you identify the people responsible for your damages.