Bowles & Verna LLP Aviation Disasters Cases

Bowles & Verna, LLPhas over 30 years of experience in aviation litigation. In just the past 10 years, we have been involved in nearly every major aviation crash and have generated over $250,000,000 in settlements and verdicts. Below is a sampling of recent aviation cases in which Bowles & Verna, LLP has been involved:

Commercial Aviation Accidents

• August 24, 2008—Spanair Flight JK5022 (MD-82) crashes on takeoff from the Madrid-Barajas Airport in Spain due to a defective take off warning system (TOWS) that failed to alert the crew that the aircraft was not in the proper configuration. 154 were killed.
• June 10, 2008—Sudan Airways Flight 109 (Airbus 310) crashes upon landing at Khartoum International Airport upon arriving from Amman, Jordan in poor weather conditions, killing 30 and seriously injuring 160 others on aboard.
• November 29, 2007—Atlasjet Flight KK 4203 (MD-83) crashes on approach to Isparta Airport en route from Istanbul in clear weather, killing all 57 on board.
• September 16, 2007—One Two Go Airlines Flight 269 (MD 82) crashes while attempting to land at Phuket International Airport en route from Bangkok, Thailand, in poor weather, killing 90 and seriously injuring 40 passengers and crew.
• May 5, 2007—Kenya Airways Flight 507 (Boeing 737-800) crashes immediately after take off from Douala International Airport in Cameroon in poor weather, possibly due to engine malfunction, killing all 114 aboard.
• September 29, 2006—Gol Airlines Flight 1907 (Boeing 737-800) collides midair with an Embraer business Jet over the Amazon Valley in Brazil. The collision occurred due to the failure of the Embraer’s traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS). The accident resulted in the death of 154 people.
• August 14, 2005—Helios Airways Flight 522 (Boeing 737-300) crashed into a mountain north of Marathon and Varnavas, Greece, killing 121 people. The cause of the accident was pilot incapacitation due to failure of the cabin pressurization system and a faulty warning system.
• January 3, 2004—FlashAir Flight 504 (Boeing 737) crashes into the Red Sea on take-off from Sharm El Sheikh killing 135 people. Design induced pilot error is likely cause of the accident.
• November 12, 2001—American Airlines 587 (Airbus 300-600) crashes into Belle Harbor, New York due to inflight breakup resulting from defective fittings of the vertical fin. The accident kills all 265 occupants on board.
• October 9, 2001—Scandinavian Airways System Flight SK 686 (an MD 87) collides on take off with a Cessna Citation II at Linate Airport near Milan, Italy, killing 118 people. The cause of the accident was combination of Citation crew error and defects in the airport’s ground radar system.
• April 19, 2000—Air Philippines Flight 541 (a Boeing 737) crashes on approach to airport at Davao City, Mindanao, in the Philippines. Cause of the crash was faulty ground proximity warning system and defects in flight controls. All 131 people on board perished.
• October 31, 2000—Singapore Airlines SQ006, (Boeing 747) crashes in Taiwan during takeoff. The cause of the accident was high winds and rain which caused the plane to crash into construction equipment that was on the runway. Of the 179 people on board, 83 people perished and 44 people were injured.
• January 31, 2000—Alaska Airlines Flight 261, Point Mugu, California, an MD-80 traveling from Mexico to Washington crashes due to loss of airplane pitch control resulting from the in-flight failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew assembly and Alaska Airlines' insufficient maintenance. All 88 people on board the plane perished.
• October 31, 1999—EgyptAir Flight 990, (Boeing 767) crashes off Long Island, New York killing 217 passengers. The cause of the accident determined to be crew error.
• August 6, 1997—Korean Airlines Flight 801, (Boeing 747) crashes in Guam on approach in poor weather. Cause of the crash was combination of faulty ground proximity warning system and Air Traffic Control errors. 225 people were killed.

Helicopter and General Aviation Accidents

• January 4, 2009—Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashes in Louisiana shortly after takeoff en route to an offshore oil platform. Case still under investigation, but appears that a poorly designed windshield shattered due to bird strikes, leading to incapacitation of the crew. Eight occupants were killed.
• May 2, 2008—Cessna 310 air taxi transport crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Itacare, Brazil en route to Ilheus Airport, killing all five on board. None of the bodies or the aircraft have been located.
• March 11, 2007—McDonnell Douglas MD-369FF helicopter crashes in Kauai, Hawaii while on a pleasure tour as a result of a catastrophic fatigue fracture of the tail rotor gearbox fittings. Two passengers are killed, and pilot and three other passengers are seriously injured.
• August 13, 2006—Robinson R-44 helicopter crashes into the Pacific Ocean near Oregon in poor weather, killing all three on board, likely due to pilot error, though the cause of the accident is still being investigated.
• August 9, 2006—McDonnell Douglas MD-600 helicopter crashes due to an inflight failure of one of the main rotor blades, causing it to collide with the tail boom, near Uvat, Russia. Pilot and two passengers are killed.
• July 8, 2006—Sikorsky S61N helicopter crashes due to inflight main rotor blade fracture as a result of a faulty valve and blade inspection system while performing inspection flight in the Canary Islands, Spain. Both crew and four passengers are killed.
• December 21, 2005—Bell 206 B Jet Ranger II crashes near Aberdeen, Scotland while on an inspection flight due to fatigue cracks in the bolts attaching the vertical fin to the helicopter. Both pilot and passenger are killed.
• November 19, 2005—Cessna Caravan (Model 206) crashes in severe weather near Moscow, due to failures in aircraft's de-icing system. The crash killed all eight people on-board.
• August 10, 2005—Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopter crashes in the Baltic Sea off the shores of Estonia due to defects in the main forward rotor actuator, causing catastrophic loss of flight control. Both crew and all 12 passengers perished.
• May 7, 2005—Transair Metorliner airplane crashed into the hillside above Lockhart River on Cape York, Australia. The accident killed all 15 people on board. An extensive accident investigation determined that the accident was caused by the failure of the Air Safety Regulator.
• December 20, 2004—Robinson R-44 helicopter crashes in Malaga, Spain, due to inadequate instructions in the pilots operating handbook (i.e. design induced pilot error). Pilot and both passengers were killed.
• July 18, 2002—Sikorksky S-76 helicopter crashes in the North Sea en route to an oil rig due to structural failure in the tail rotor gear box. Two crew and nine passengers are killed.