What Qualifies as an Aviation Accident
Updated June 1, 2019 | By Wilson Kehoe Winingham staff
As defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation, an aviation accident is “an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight until all such persons have disembarked, and in which (a) a person is fatally or seriously injured, (b) the aircraft sustains significant damage or structural failure, or (c) the aircraft goes missing or becomes completely inaccessible.”
On the other hand, an incident is defined as “an occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of operation.”
Aviation accidents and incidents may involve private, military, and commercial airplanes or helicopters.
Causes of Aviation Accidents:
Typically, there is not a single cause of an aviation accident, but a combination of several factors. These factors may include:
- Faulty equipment
- FAA regulation violations
- Pilot error
- Mechanical error
- Problems in the design or structure of an aircraft
- Flight service station employee negligence
- Negligence in a third-party selection of a carrier
- Federal Air Traffic Controller negligence
- Inclement weather
- Poor runway maintenance
- Sabotage (shoot-downs, hijackings, bombs, etc.)
- Birds
- And more
Contact an Aviation Accident Attorney Today
Our staff includes two licensed pilots with a wide range of ratings and experience. Our licensed attorney pilots hold a commercial license, flight engineer certificate, instrument and multi-engine aircraft ratings as well as flight experience in Boeing 727s and many private aircraft.
If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of an aviation accident, you are urged to contact the Indianapolis Aviation Accident Attorneys of Wilson Kehoe Winingham. The lawyers at WKW can help you with the next steps in pursuing an aviation accident case, regardless of the type of accident. Call 317.920.6400 or fill out an online contact form for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
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Let WKW put our experience to work for you. Contact us for your free case evaluation.
Or, call us today at (317) 920-6400
