New York Commercial Airplane Accident Attorneys

Causes of Commercial Airline Accidents

Any number of factors can cause or contribute to an airplane accident. When representing airplane accident victims, or individuals who have lost a family member in a fatal accident, it is important to fully understand the cause of the accident and identify the liable parties. This can be the most challenging part of handling a commercial airline accident case.

Some causes of commercial airplane accidents are:

• Faulty maintenance — Airlines have a duty and obligation to ensure that their aircraft are safe and properly maintained. The airline may be held liable if failure to maintain caused or contributed to the accident occurring.
• Flying in dangerous conditions — Taking off in dangerous weather conditions or failing to identify a safe path en route can both contribute to an airline accident.
• Pilot error — Although pilots are generally well trained and experienced, they can and do make mistakes that put passengers at risk. Even a slight error can have catastrophic results when hundreds of passengers are affected.
• Crew error — In the event of an emergency, airline crew are supposed to instruct passengers per safety protocol. When they fail to do this, passengers can become unnecessarily injured.
• Design defects — Defects in the design or manufacture of an airplane can cause accidents now or in the future after the plane has been in use for several years.