Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog

A medical transport plane en route to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, crashed into Lake Michigan on Friday. The pilot has been rescued and authorities are searching for the other four passengers.

The plane, a Cessna 206, departed from Alma, Michigan, about 150 miles northwest of Detroit. The plane went down after 10 a.m. near Ludington, Michigan. Five people were aboard the plane; one person was rescued by a boater about two hours later.

Prior to the crash, the pilot reported a loss of power to an air traffic controller at the Minneapolis Center.

Those on board the plane included, Don Pavlik, the superintendent of the Alma Public Schools, was headed to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for cancer treatment with his wife, Irene. Dr. James Hall and Earl David, who agreed to come with on the trip. A local businessman, Jerry Freed, owned the plane and offered the flight, a kind gesture he had done for others in the past.

On January 17, 2010, two students attending Hope College in Holland, Michigan were killed shortly after take-off of a small single-engine airplane. One of the deceased is a 20-year-old student from St. Charles and the pilot was a Kenyan student.

The plane had disappeared from radar after going over the Saugatuck area in Allegan County and then went down in a soybean field.

An investigation into the crash is underway.

A small-plane crash near Chicago, in a Cook County forest preserve, killed two men this past Tuesday afternoon. The Learjet 35A airplane left Detroit Tuesday afternoon, bound for Chicago Executive Airport. Ninety minutes into the flight, and near its destination, the plane went down for unknown reasons. The pilot and co-pilot, the only people aboard the plane, were killed in the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be conducting a full investigation into the crash. Investigators have noted that winds were out of the west-northwest on Tuesday, which requires pilots of small aircraft to perform a "circling approach" when landing. Investigators acknowledged that this is a more difficult landing technique and may have been in a factor in the crash. Investigators will also closely examine the systems, structure and engine of the jet.

My sincere condolences to the families of the two men on board.

Consumer protections requiring a three-hour limit on airline passengers' tarmac waits are currently part of a version of the Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, which is a bill providing money for airports and airlines across the country. The legislation, which has already been approved by the House of Representatives, will compel airlines to create plans to deplane passengers after three hours. Airlines will also be required to provide basic services to waiting passengers, such as food and water.

One of the groups lobbying in support of the law -- The Business Travel Coalition -- said health and safety issues mandate the three-hour limit. Kate Hanni, founder of flyersrights.org says long waits greatly increase the chances of blood clots and exacerbate other health problems.

The former CEO of American Airlines, Robert Crandall, also supports the bill; but, he argues that immediately instituting a three-hour limit could result in an overflow of flight cancellations. He proposes starting with a four-hour cap that would automatically become three hours after a year. Senate supporters of the three-hour limit have threatened to filibuster any amendment that would strike out the consumer protections from the FAA bill.

According to FlyersRights.org, which has been lobbying for the three-hour limit since 2007, 1,232 flights were confined to the tarmac for over three hours in American airports in 2008.

As a personal injury lawyer in Chicago, I have represented many clients who were diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These individuals who experienced traumatic events, such as a being in a car accident, received compensation for their injuries related to their PTSD. Although PTSD is not always visible like a broken arm or leg, the injury and pain is very real.

For more information on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, please review the following online resources and consult a psychologist or a psychiatrist:

PTSD Facts on Google Health
National Institute of Mental Health - PTSD
Mayo Clinic defines PTSD

Continue reading "PTSD: A SERIOUS CONDITION DESERVES SERIOUS COMPENSATION" »

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued nineteen recommendations regarding Emergency Medical Services helicopters. These types of flights account for an estimated 750 helicopters, 20 operators, and 60 hospital-based programs. The recommendations address a variety of safety issues including pilot training, safety management systems, flight analysis and weather conditions.

In an October 14, 2008 post on this blog regarding the need for the NTSB and the FAA to critically examine safety issues related to medical helicopters, I underscored the importance of night-vision goggles. Fortunately, that is one of the areas that the NTSB has addressed in its recommendations. The accident rate for this mode of transportation is far too high and immediate changes have to be put into place.

In February of 2009, the NTSB conducted a 4-day public hearing to critically examine the need for additional safety in the medical helicopter industry.

The 19 recommendations issued include 10 recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address improved pilot training, collection and analysis of flight, weather, and safety dat, flight data monitoring, development of low altitude airspace in infrastructure, and the use of dual pilots, autopilots, and NVIS.

Two safety recommendations directed to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) are to evaluate the current emergency medical services helicopter reimbursement rate structure and its relationship to patient transport safety.

Two recommendations are to Federal Interagency Committee on EMS (FICEMS) to address coordination and integration of helicopter emergency medical transport into local and regional emergency medical systems.

Finally, five recommendations are to public operators to improve pilot training, flight data monitoring, and the use of dual pilots, autopilots and night vision equipment.

A pilot operating an ultralight Challenger LSS airplane hit a powerline and crashed in the Kankakee River Sunday night. The 45-year-old pilot was found to have a blood alcohol level exceeding the .04 federal limit for operating an aircraft.

Witnesses reported that the plane was flying low over the river when it struck the lowest group of wires. The plan landed in the water upside down. Rescuers pulled the plane to shallow water and cut the pilot out of his safety harness with a utility knife. The pilot suffered two broken legs and a collapsed lung in the accident.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the accident. The Kankakee County District Attorney's Office plans to bring the case before a grand jury in the next two weeks and expects to file charges against the pilot.

A missing Air France jet, Flight 447, carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris ran into a towering wall of thunderstorms over the Atlantic Ocean. The vast area where the plane could have gone down was in the deep Atlantic Ocean waters between Brazil and the coast of Africa.

Brazil's military searched for it off its northeast coast, while the French military scoured the ocean near the Cape Verde Islands off the West African coast.

The 4-year-old Airbus A330 left Rio on Sunday at 7:03 p.m. local time with 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board.

The plane left Brazil radar contact, beyond the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, at 10:48 local time, indicating it was flying normally at 35,000 feet and traveling at 522 mph.

About a half-hour later, the plane "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence." It sent an automatic message fourteen minutes later reporting electrical failure and a loss of cabin pressure.

Air France told Brazilian authorities the last information they heard was that automated message reporting a technical problem before the plane reached a monitoring station near the Cape Verde islands.

The 24-year old co-pilot aboard the commuter plane that crashed into a house near Buffalo, New York in February had traveled all night as a passenger aboard FedEx planes before boarding the plane. The co-pilot was living in Seattle, Washington and commuting to Newark, New Jersey according to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB began its public hearing regarding the crash last week.

Sadly, all 49 passengers aboard the Continental Connection Dash 8 turboprop were killed when the plane nosedived.

NTSB investigators are suggesting that fatigue was a factor in the fatal crash. "Her body basically said, 'I can't handle it,' " speculated Greg Feith, former NTSB air safety inspector. "I mean, we've all been there before and pulled an all-nighter. We know how that feels."

Colgan Air, the regional airline Shaw worked for, said Shaw did not "reserve adequate time to travel from her home to her base in order to ensure she was properly rested and fit for duty."

With fatigue being a possible factor in the crash, the testimony at this week's NTSB hearings is reigniting industry concerns over pilot fatigue. In the last 16 years, fatigue has been associated with 250 fatalities in air carrier accidents, Robert Sumwalt, NTSB vice chairman, said at an FAA symposium in July.

The other pilot on the flight, who had been with Colgan more than three years, had nearly a full day off before assuming command of Flight 3407. The NTSB investigation found he slept in the Newark Airport crew lounge, which is against Colgan Air regulations.

I have previous posted on www.chicagoaccidentinjurylawyer.com about the devastating, fatal crashes and significant dangers in the medical helicopter industry. It is evident that the industry needs extensive safety improvements to reduce the number of crashes.

The results of a study outlining the necessary improvements will be released this week. Textron, Inc.'s Bell Helicopter commissioned Aerospace Risk Management Inc. to perform a safety study to closely examine what steps should be taken to reduce the risks of medical helicopter flights. The study examines the structural and financial issues that may be at the root of the problem and is being described by aviation safety experts as the most comprehensive report ever about enhancing safety for patients and crews.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that there is strife within the industry regarding the study and its exposure of the risks of medical helicopter flights. Apparently some operators have stated that they will pull their orders from Bell Helicopter if the study is released under its name. The study has been turned over to Flight Safety Foundation, a safety advocacy organization supported by industry.

More than 30 organizations have provided data; however, members of the Air Medical Operators Association, which represents companies flying some of the largest emergency medical helicopter fleets, have been particularly critical. An association spokesman said "we didn't know what sources were used and we weren't part of the research."

Dave Downey, Bell Helicopters's vice president of safety, said "somebody needs to put the information out there in totality, without any bias." A Bell spokesman said the company ordered up the study to look at the root causes of accidents and that it will continue to pursue responsible measures to enhance safety.

A University of Michigan Survival Flight plane crashed just after takeoff from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport on June 4, 2007. The crash killed both pilots and a four-member organ transplant team.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has since reported that the co-pilot may have accidentally activated the autopilot instead of a different motion control device. The NTSB will continue to look into the operations of the plane's owner, the weather, the plane's air worthiness, maintenance records and cockpit voice recodings. The NTSB won't issue its formal conclusion regarding the probable cause of the crash until after it receives all of their reports later this year.

The autopilot button is next to the other motion contol device that the NTSB believes the co-pilot intended to activate. Many aircraft makers have redesigned consoles to avoid such confusion.

A single engine, fixed-wing aircraft crashed in a field around 1:50 p.m. this afternoon in Sandwich, IL killing the two people aboard the plane. Sandwich is located approximately 60 miles southwest of Chicago.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office said the plane went down in a field along Route 34 just north of the Sandwich Airport, a small private air strip that is southwest of the city.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

Last night, one of the engines went out on an American Airlines flight on its way to Chicago from John Wayne Airport in California's Orange County. News reports indicate that none of the 149 passengers and crew of six on board were injured.

American Airlines spokesman Billy Sanez said the engine on Flight 1236 died just minutes after takeoff at 3:21 p.m. The aircraft, which is a 757, was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport, where it landed safely about 10 minutes later.

Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed around 10:40 p.m. Thursday night into a home in Clarence Center, N.Y., about five miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Fatalities include all 48 people onboard and one person inside the house.

The 74-seat Q400 Bombardier aircraft, operated by Colgan Air, was flying from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and preparing to land at Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

The recordings from air traffic control reveal no apparent distress from aboard the aircraft. One pilot is heard communicating with air traffic control and is asked to flight at 2,300 feet. A minute later, the controller receives no response from anyone in the aircraft.

After the crash, at least two pilots in the area are heard saying they have been picking up ice on their wings.

Continental's press release said relatives and friends of those on Flight 3407 who wanted to give or receive information about those on board could telephone a special family assistance number, 1-800-621-3263.

Today, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) begins a public hearing on the safety of helicopter emergency medical service (EMS) operations. The hearing, which is scheduled for 2/3/09 through 2/6/09 will be telecast on the NTSB's website.

There have been a number of fatalities related to EMS helicopter crashes in recent years. The goal of the upcoming hearing is for the Safety Board to learn more about helicopter EMS operations so that it can better evaluate the factors that lead to accidents.

Continue reading "PUBLIC HEARING ON MEDICAL HELICOPTER SAFETY" »

Six people, four of whom were members of the American Polish Aero Club, were killed when a two-engine Piper PA plane crashed on Friday in Kenova, West Virginia.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were gathering evidence to try to determine why the plane crashed.

My sincere condolences go out to the families of those who died in the crash. As a director of the Polish American Association, I know what an impact that this has had on Chicago's Polish community.

Last week's dramatic crash landing of US Airways flight 1549 into the Hudson River and the heroic rescue of all passengers on board was truly a miracle. Pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger has been praised as a hero, and rightfully so. His skillful landing saved the lives of over 150 people and touched the lives of countless others.

The crash resulted when the Airbus 320 collided with two birds. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that brid strikes occur from time to time, but there haven't been many major accidents due to bird strikes in many years. Birds present a bigger hazard for smaller aircraft and pose a threat to commercial airliners typically only at lower altitudes when planes are taking off or landing. From 1990 to 2007, there were nearly 80,0000 reported incidents of birds striking non-military aircraft, or about one strike in every 10,000 flights.

The FAA requires airliners to withstand strikes from birds weighing as much as 8 pounds at particluarly vulnerable points along the aircraft. Kevin Poorman, a senior research engineer at the University of Dayton Research Institute in Ohio, tests the abiltiy of airplanes and engines to withstand bird strikes by firing 4 to 8 pound birds at strategic points along aircraft from coompressed gas guns at hundreds of miles per hour. Poorman noted that over 200 fatalities have occurred in the last 20 years due to bird strikes workldwide and that 5,000 impacts are reported each year. Poorman believes that birds strike planes every day, but planes are designed to take the impacts, however, when a flock or a large bird strikes at a critical moment is when problems happen -- like what happened last week in the Hudson.

Environmental initiatives of the 1960s and 1970s geared towards protecting animal species, cleaning the water and expanding wildlife refuge systems has resulted in a resurgence of birds and wildlife that pose a hazard for airplanes. During this same time period, aircraft design has improved to make planes faster and quieter, so birds can't detect them as readily.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) consider bird strikes a continual concern and will continue to improve engine design to prevent crashes in the future.

Just two days after US Airways Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River after striking two birds, an Arkansas hospital helicopter was grounded after a bird struck the aircraft, tearing a hole into the nose of the chopper. The pilot was forced to land the helicopter as a result. Thankfully, the helicopter landed safely. The pilot was slightly injured during the landing, but two other crew members on board were not.

The helicopter was returning from a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where the crew had taken a patient. It was heading back to Baptist Health Center in Little Rock, Arkansas when the bird hit the chopper and forced an early landing.

Federal aviation officials are investigating the incident but do not expect the helicopter to be grounded for long.

The pilot of the US Airways plane that landed the plane in the Hudson River despite its two engines being out is being lauded a hero. All 155 people on board were pulled to safety. "We had a miracle on 34th Street. I believe now we have had a miracle on the Hudson," New York governor David Paterson said.

"The captain said, 'Brace for impact because we're going down,'" passenger Jeff Kolodjay said. He said passengers put their heads in their laps and started praying. He said the plane hit the water pretty hard, but he was fine.

The pilot was identified as Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger of Danville, Calif. I commend the pilot on his skillful landing!

This afternoon, a US Airways plane downed in the Hudson River. Footage of the crash shows the plane partially submerged with passengers standing on the wings. The water temperature in the river was reported at 42 degrees.

Flight 1549, an A380 took off from Laguardia on it's way to Charlotte at 3:26 pm ET. 146 passengers and 5 crew members were onboard, MSNBC reports.

According to reports, the pilot reported a possible bird attack shortly after takeover. There were reports the pilot went into a flock of geese. In the aviation industry, these incidents are referred to as "wildlife strikes". For the period 1990—2004, over 63,000 wildlife strikes were reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). About 97 percent of all wildlife strikes reported to the FAA involve birds, almost 3 percent involve mammals and less than 1 percent involved reptiles. Waterfowl (ducks and geese), gulls, and raptors (mainly hawks and vultures) are the bird species that cause the most damage to civil aircraft in the United States.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded a $9 million dollar contract to Honeywell International, Inc. and Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems to test and install satellite-based ADS-B (Automated Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) systems to help improve runway safety. Considering airports are are still using the radar systems developed during World War II, government encouragement to improve technology could not have come soon enough.

With present-day radar, pilots rely on air traffic controllers and a see-and-avoid strategey that literally entails looking out the window to avoid wandering in the way of - or colliding with - other aircraft on the runways. By constrast, ADS-B provides a full-color, topographical map on a computer screen and shows where the pilot's plane is, where other planes are, and the weather systems around them. ADS-B essentially gives the pilot "an extra set of eyes" according to Terry von Thaden, a professor in the Institute of Aviation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

ADS-B's ability to update in real-time is especially important on runways where there are many planes in close proximity. Commercial airline traffic is expected to top one billion passengers anually by 2016 (compared with 769 million in 2007); this increase will result in more aircraft than ever taxiing, taking off and landing on airport runways, so improved technology to help out our pilots will be more important than ever.

Alaska tested out ADS-B technology in a 1999 to 2006 joint venture between industry and the FAA. Accidents decreased by a whopping 47%. Not only does ADS-B improve safety, but it is also expected to increase airline eficiency and help the environment by enabling more tightly spaced landings and reducing time spent in holding patterns (which can save between 40 and 70 gallons of fuel per landing).

Continue reading "SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE SKIES FRIENDLIER" »

Nine medical helicopters have crashed since last December in the United States causing the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to call upon the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to institute more stringent operating rules. Other proposals include requiring the air ambulance companies to identify potential risks pre-flight and to install devices to warn pilots of a danger of striking the ground or other obstructions.

Earlier this month, an Air Angels medical helicopter crashed in Aurora after striking a radio tower wire killing all four aboard the aircraft.

The Chicago Suntimes reported that 2008 was the deadliest year on record for medical transport helicopters. 'We need to put the foot down to the pedal. People are dying,'' NTSB board member Debbie Hersman said. ''There needs to be a sense of urgency. The fatalities are going up and up.''

A medical helicopter operated by Air Angels, Inc. en route from Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago from Valley West Hospital in Sandwich crashed in a field in Aurora minutes before midnight. Sadly, everyone on board died, including three crew members and a 13-month old infant who was believed to be suffering from seizures.

Initial reports indicate that the helicopter may may have clipped a wire from a 750-foot WBIG radio tower. Reports indicate that the tower's structural integrity is in question and engineers are currently evaluating it.

Air Angels, Inc. is based out of Clow Airport in Bolingbrook, IL. This is the third crash involving an Air Angels helicopter. A January 2003 crash involved pilot error and weather and an August 2007 crash involved mechanical problems.

As previously mentioned on this blog, in an October 13, 2008 post, there has been increased attention regarding the need for additional safety measures on EMS helicopters.

Continue reading "MEDICAL HELICOPTER CRASHES IN AURORA" »

This past Saturday, four people were killed when a helicopter operated by the Marlyand State Police went down in a park in suburban Washington, D.C. This was the eighth fatal medical helicopter crash in the past year in the United States. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the accident rate for medical helicopters is far too high.

A 2006 report published by the NTSB investigated 55 EMS aircraft accidents that occurred between January 2002 and January 2005. The NTSB found that 29 of the 55 accidents could have been prevented. One technology that could undoubtedly improve safety of EMS pilots is the use of night-vision goggles which would improve visibility for pilots flying in darkenss. The importance of night-vision goggles cannot be overstated; the NTSB report found that while only 38% of all helicopter EMS flights occur at night, a whopping 49% of accidents occurred at nighttime. The high rate for nighttime accidents can be explained by the lack of night-vision technology. Presently, fewer than one-third of 800 EMS helicopters in the United States have such technology. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of night-vision goggles due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Moreover, while the NTSB can offer recommendations, as it did in 2006, only the Federal Aviation Administration can mandate such technology. As of yet, no such regulations have been enacted and the FAA does not currently have a timeframe for implementing night-vision technology in EMS helicopters. The FAA's inaction is even more striking in light of the fact that since the NTSB's 2006 recommendations, 52 more people have died in EMS flight accidents and nearly two-thirds of those fatalities involved nighttime or poor-visibility results.

EMS pilots, in particular, have advocated strongly for night-vision technology. A survey performed by the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA) found that 82% percent of pilots prefer to use night-vision equipment. This is understandable; one respondent commented, "Night-vision goggles (NVGs) are the most significant improvement in night EMS history. To limit their use with unrealistc requirements just puts more Air Medical crews at risk. I hope the FAA will listen to Industry where the preponderance of the Generation 3 NVG experience is, and agree on realistic rules, regulations and guidelines that can be universally accepted and applied." Another respondent said that "NVGs have significantly improved our safety and crew comfort level while flying at night. Use of NVGs have improved our ability to complete more missions safely and that equates to more lives saved." Others echoed these sentiments and noted, "At night there is no greater tool than NVGs. A pilot is better off in every night situation wearing and using night vision goggles."

EMS helicopters are invaluable in emergency situations, but it is ironic, at best, that these life-saving vehicles can actually produce opposite results...results that can easily be prevented with the proper equipment and technology.

Continue reading "ACCIDENT RATES OF EMS HELICOPTERS IS FAR TOO HIGH; LIVES LOST NEEDLESSLY" »

A plane crash at Madrid Barajas International Airport on August 20, 2008 has resulted in the death of 153 passengers and has left 17 injured. The plane - which was an MD-82 made by McConnell Douglas and operated by Spanair - reportedly swerved off of the runway, crashed and burst into flames. The plane was heading to Gran Canaria in Spain’s Canary Islands.

There was no immediate indication of the cause of the crash. The causes of aviation disasters are wide-ranging: from mechanical failure to air traffic controller negligence. No doubt, an exhaustive search of the cause of the crash has been initiated by the Spanish Commission for Investigating Civil Aviation Accidents and Incidents to determine why this tragedy occurred and to prevent a similar fate to other passengers. Reuters reported that Spanish newspapers El Pais and El Mundo learned from sources close to the investigation that a thrust reverser had been deployed prior to the crash and reportedly, officials are looking into this finding.

The flight data recorder (FDR) has been recovered from the fuselage. It is incredible how much information can be obtained from flight data recorders. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the FDRs on newly manufactured aircraft must monitor eighty-eight (88) parameters such as time, altitude, airspeed, heading and aircraft attitude. With the data retrieved from the FDR, it is possible to create an animation of the end of the flight. These animations are helpful in determining the probable cause of crashes. Ultimately, this information can be used in litigation as well to be shown to the jury or for settlement purposes.

Continue reading "SPANAIR PLANE CRASH CAUSE UNKNOWN " »