Aviation Accident Attorneys
Aviation Law Group PS is a leading law firm representing persons on the West Coast and throughout the United States, in aircraft accidents and other aviation-related cases involving serious injury and wrongful death. ALG has expanded its domestic practice nationally to include the West Coast and East Coast, with offices in Seattle, Washington, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Jupiter, Florida. With more than 35 years of experience practicing law and more than 45 years in aviation, ALG is proud of our highly credentialed attorneys, who are all also certified commercial pilots and two are certified mechanics. ALG has a long history of excellent legal work and results on behalf of hundreds of clients in the highly technical and complex area of aviation litigation. ALG attorneys are licensed to practice law throughout the United States, including Alaska, Washington, Hawaii, California, and Florida. We routinely handle cases throughout the U.S., and with local counsel we can bring our aviation experience to cases in all 50 States, Canada, and Internationally.
Bob Hedrick
Attorney 30+ years
Commercial Pilot
A&P Aviation Mechanic
20+ Years Professor of Aviation Accident Law
Casey DuBose
Attorney 10+ years
Commercial Pilot
Flight Instructor
Fluent Mandarin Chinese
Professor of Aviation and Space Law
Kerry Kovarik
Attorney 16+ years
Commercial Pilot
Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Former FAA Authorized Inspector
Chris Rusing
Attorney 20+ years
Airline Pilot & Instructor
Airbus 320 Series Captain
WHAT WE DO
Aviation Accident Law
General Aviation Accidents
General aviation involves private and recreational flight activity. It includes non-airline flights such as scenic flights, flight training, private flights, recreational flights, helicopter flights and operations, seaplanes, flying clubs, business flights, gliders, and a lot of other aerial activity. All of Aviation Law Group attorneys have extensive experience in many aspects of general aviation, from flying and instructing, to operations and aircraft maintenance. Since 1988, our lawyers have handled accidents involving nearly all aspects of general aviation activity for airplanes, helicopters, and fixed base operators.
Helicopter Accidents
Helicopter accidents often involve issues of external load operations such as longline or external load (link to external load), heli-lifting, heli-logging, and fire-fighting support.
Major Airline Accidents
ALG attorneys have represented numerous families who lost loved ones in major airline disasters, such as the January 31, 2000, Alaska Flight 261 accident near Point Hueneme, California, and the February 25, 2009, Turkish Airline Flight TK 1951 accident in Amsterdam. We have extensive experience with international airline liability law, including the Montreal Convention and its predecessor the Warsaw Convention, where issues of liability, jurisdiction, applicable law, and recoverable damages are complex. ALG attorneys have given many talks and written numerous articles in this specialized field of law. Mr. Hedrick also teaches the Montreal Convention as part of his Aviation Accident Law course at Seattle University School of Law.
International Coverage and Regional Expertise
Washington
Unfortunately, aircraft accidents occur nearly weekly throughout Washington. In addition, many aircraft accidents outside of Washington involve Washington manufacturers or operators.
Alaska
Because of the extent of aviation activity throughout the 49th and largest state in the U.S., Robert Hedrick obtained his attorney license in Alaska nearly 20 years ago in 2002 and is an active member of the Alaska Bar Association.
Hawaii
Aviation activity is unique in the Hawaiian archipelago because of its location and geographical topography.
Recent Aviation Law News
NTSB Preliminary Report On the March 30, 2024, Truckee, California TBM 700 Accident Raises Eyebrows at Aviation Law Group
With an experienced pilot with 250 hours in N960LP in the prior 16 months, a pilot-rated passenger – as per the NTSB, and the fact that they were flying their own aircraft into their home airport in daylight hours, this does not appear to be a classic case of controlled flight into terrain, as the final descent suggests otherwise.
Singapore Airlines Flight 321: ALG Lawyers Concerned About Yet Another Severe Turbulence Accident
Recent research suggests that turbulence incidents are increasing, potentially due to climate change and elevated carbon dioxide emissions affecting air currents. In this accident, Aviation Law Group is concerned that some of the relevant cockpit data information may not have been saved or recorded, giving investigators a less-than-complete picture of exactly what went on.
TBM Accident In Truckee Has Unanswered Questions
When an aircraft accident involves a qualified and experienced pilot flying a new aircraft in weather conditions sufficient for safe flight, we wonder what really happened.
ATC’s role in the Midair Collision at North Las Vegas should be investigated.
On Sunday, July 17, 2022, a tragic and most preventable midair collision occurred above the North Las Vegas Airport. The aircraft involved were a single-engine Piper PA-46 (N97CX) and a single-engine Cessna 172 (N160RA). Two persons were on board each aircraft, and...
Hawaii Helicopter Air Tour Crashes Continue Despite NTSB Safety Recommendations
On Wednesday, June 8, 2022, a Bell 407 helicopter operated by Paradise Helicopters was on a flightseeing tour on Big Island, Hawaii, when it crashed, injuring all six persons on board, including numerous serious injuries. The accident occurred on a small lava field...
Yakutat Coastal Airlines Accident Remains A Mystery
On Tuesday May 24, 2022 at approximately 3:00 pm, a Yakutat Coastal Airlines DHC-3 Otter was involved in a serious accident as it approached to land at a rural airstrip (Dry Bay Airport 3AK) 47 miles southeast of Yakutat. While one passenger received minor injuries,...
关于东方MU5732
在此我们向中国东方航空空难遇难者及其家属致哀,我们的心与其同在。 我们能在美国以航空律师事务所的身份提供您相关的法律服务。而我们的事务所也正好位于波音總部的华盛顿州,波音737-800的设计及组装也是在此完成。 航空法律集团(Aviation Law...
Boeing 737-8 Crashes in China
China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 crashed en route from Kunming to Guangzhou with 132 souls on board today. The aircraft is a B737-8 that was first delivered in 2015 and built-in Renton Washington. It is not a 737 MAX aircraft. The flight profile shows an...
Can Russia nationalize $12 Billion of foreign-owned civil aircraft?
If you’ve been watching Flight Radar 24, as I have for the last three weeks, you’ll notice that most of the Russian airliners are registered to Bermuda or Ireland. This is a common tax avoidance maneuver that is not limited to the Russian fleet. The following gets...
Does 5G Wireless Technology Really Create An Aviation Safety Hazard?
By Chris Rusing, Attorney, Aviation Law Group The answer is YES! 5G wireless technology is the planned successor to 4G broadband telecommunication cellular networks that provides cellphone network services to most current cell phones. Like 4G networks, 5G networks are...
Iceland Crash Raises Questions Of Flight Purpose And Flight Plan Before Accident
By Attorneys at Aviation Law Group PS, Seattle The flight has been called a “sightseeing flight”, yet its purpose was not just for the passengers to look out windows, but to film commercial content for Suspicious Antwerp, a Belgian streetwear clothing brand. The...
Montreal Convention Likely To Apply To Dominican Republic Helidosa Aviation Gulfstream Accident
The December 15, 2021 crash of a Gulfstream IV SP jet in the Dominican Republic is likely to give rise to the application of the Montreal Convention with regard to passenger claims against the operator, apparently Helidosa Aviation Group, says Robert Hedrick, an...
Tragedy Strikes: The Crash of Helidosa Aviation’s Gulfstream IV In Dominican Republic
On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, a Gulfstream IV SP jet aircraft crashed near the Las Americas Airport in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. The 6 passengers, 2 pilots, and 1 flight attendant, all died. The aircraft had taken off a short time before...
Southeast Aviation Crash Near Ketchikan Alaska: Another Avoidable Accident?
On August 5, 2021, a DeHavilland Beaver seaplane operated by Southeast Aviation out of Ketchikan, crashed in the mountains approximately 8 miles northeast of Ketchikan while on a Misty Fjords National Monument scenic flight. There were no survivors among the five...
The Rise and Fall of Civil Aviation in the Republic of China
In 1937, one of the first airlines in China - Eurasia Airlines (欧亚航空公司) - started to recruit flight attendants for the first time. Suitable applicants had to meet the following conditions: aged between 20-25 years of age, proper demeanor/appearance, height 1.5 m -1.7...
Representative Cases
Airplane Mis-fueling Accident
A lineman working for local aircraft fueling operation pumped Jet-A aircraft fuel into the tanks of a reciprocating single-engine airplane, which required 100 octane low lead fuel.
Defective Carburetor Accident
In February 2013, following a 3-week trial, a Washington jury returned a verdict for $8.9 million in favor of our client against an aircraft engine manufacturer.
Regional Fly-In Accident
After a 3-week jury trial, Robert Hedrick obtained a $10.5 million verdict against a regional fly-in host and its national counterpart. The case involved failure to arrange for adequate fire and emergency response at the event, which caused a pilot to die needlessly.
Aircraft Design Defect
Last year, after a two-week trial, a 12-person jury returned a verdict in favor of the clients of Aviation Law Group, finding that an aircraft’s flight control system was defectively designed, which caused the deaths of a pilot and his passenger.
Firm Contact Information
If you or a loved one has been the victim of an aviation-related accident, please reach out to us. We are always willing to provide a free initial evaluation and meeting.