San Diego Aviation Accident Lawyers

Few areas of personal injury or wrongful death litigation are more legally or factually complex than aviation accidents. Commercial and private airplane accident cases require significant resources and experienced advocacy. At The McClellan Law Firm, our San Diego aviation accident lawyers know how to pinpoint liability in order to ensure that our clients have the best possible chance of receiving the compensation they deserve.

Common Types of Aviation Accidents

An aviation accident is an incident involving an aircraft that results in damage to the aircraft itself, injury or death to its occupants, or damage to property. These accidents can range from minor incidents with no injuries or damage to major disasters resulting in significant loss of life and property.

Aviation accidents are typically classified into several common types:

• Crash or Collision: This type of accident occurs when an aircraft collides with another aircraft, object, or the ground. It can happen during takeoff, landing, or during flight due to various factors such as pilot error, mechanical failure, or adverse weather conditions.
• Runway Excursion: A runway excursion happens when an aircraft veers off the runway during takeoff or landing. This can be caused by factors such as pilot error, hydroplaning, poor runway conditions, or brake failure.
• Loss of Control: Loss of control accidents occur when the pilot is unable to maintain control of the aircraft. This can be due to mechanical failure, adverse weather conditions, spatial disorientation, or pilot error.
• Mid-air Collision: This type of accident involves two or more aircraft colliding while in flight. Mid-air collisions can occur due to airspace congestion, communication failures, or navigational errors.
• Fuel-related Accidents: These accidents occur when an aircraft runs out of fuel or experiences fuel system failures. Fuel-related accidents can result from improper fuel management, fuel contamination, or fuel exhaustion.
• Weather-related Accidents: Adverse weather conditions such as fog, thunderstorms, icing, or high winds can contribute to aviation accidents. Pilots must navigate through challenging weather conditions safely, but weather-related accidents can still occur due to misjudgment or unexpected changes in weather patterns.
• Mechanical Failure: Aircraft components can fail due to manufacturing defects, poor maintenance, or wear and tear. Mechanical failures can lead to accidents if critical systems such as engines, control surfaces, or landing gear malfunction during flight.
• Human Error: Pilot error, air traffic controller error, or errors made by ground crew members can contribute to aviation accidents. Factors such as fatigue, distraction, inadequate training, or miscommunication can all lead to human error accidents.

The Challenges in Plane Crash Lawsuits

Virtually all lawsuits that follow a plane crash involve:

• Analysis of multiple federal regulations
• An investigation by multiple state and federal government agencies
• Contacts with multiple states of residence or manufacture
• Complicated insurance and contractual arrangements

One of the main challenges in a plane crash lawsuit is to find evidence that proves clear liability. Was the crash caused by pilot error? Was an equipment malfunction to blame? Did the airplane receive maintenance according to the airline's policies and the industry's standards? Our aviation accident attorney knows how to find answers to those questions.

The McClellan Law Firm represents clients in California and across the United States in aviation accident lawsuits. We have a strong record of successful negotiations and trials against both powerful commercial interests and smaller defendants.

Private Plane & Jet Accidents

Accidents occur in the private aviation sector more often than on commercial airlines. The primary reason for the higher number of small plane crashes is that privately-owned planes do not have the same internal corporate safety policies and technologies that commercial airlines use to minimize threats to passenger safety.

Private aviation refers to non-commercial airplane flights, such as:

• Helicopters
• Corporate jets
• Privately owned planes
• Sightseeing aircraft
• Chartered business travel
• Aircraft used for industrial/farming purposes

If you have lost a loved one in a private or commercial plane crash, you might wonder what the next step is. For a free consultation to help understand your family's rights, call The McClellan Law Firm at (619) 215-1488 to schedule an appointment with our plane accident lawyers in California.

The Resources to Mount a Nationwide Investigation

Our investigation of the liability issues is likely to take us and our experts all over the country, or even overseas. Critical evidence in any aviation accident case might be found at the airport of origination or a hangar located at another airport, in government inspection files, aircraft maintenance records, the pilot's medical reports, and employment files, or at the factories where the plane and its components were built.

While the crash site itself and the plane's data recording system will also yield important information about both causes and consequences of the accident, chances are the most legally significant evidence of negligence or defective design came into existence long before the aircraft took off. Our success in complex cases allows us to commit the resources necessary to develop your case as thoroughly and persuasively as possible.

We might engage dozens of experts in a single case to contribute to a technically sound and legally effective explanation of the crash. We will recover these expenses only if we resolve your case favorably.

We Treat Your Case as Our Only Case

In order to protect your rights and make your case effective, our investigation into the airplane accident that caused your injury or your loved one's death may take us across the country. We may even need to travel internationally in order to procure the proper evidence and data.

These are just a few of the steps we are willing to take for your case.

We are committed to going above and beyond in order to fight for just compensation. Some firms overload their attorneys with casework to the point that they cannot devote proper attention to individual clients; however, at The McClellan Law Firm, we never accept more than 15 cases at a time. This approach ensures you have our full attention.

Call for a Free Legal Consultation: (619) 215-1488

To talk to a San Diego airplane accident attorney about your case, call The McClellan Law Firm today. We offer free consultations, so you have nothing to lose. Our award-winning firm has obtained more than $250 million on behalf of our clients over the years.