Aviation Accident Attorneys
Aviation Law Group PS is a leading West Coast law firm representing plaintiffs in the West Coast, the United States, and the World in aircraft accidents and other aviation-related cases involving serious injury/wrongful death. With more than 30 years of experience practicing law, and more than 40 years in aviation, ALG is proud of our excellent legal work on behalf of hundreds of clients. We routinely handle cases with local counsel in all 50 States and Internationally. Additionally, ALG attorneys are licensed to practice law throughout the Western United States including Alaska, Washington, Hawaii, and California.
Aviation Law Group: Representing Passengers Harmed on
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282
Our Approach
At Aviation Law Group, our primary concern for the passengers of Alaska Flight 1282 is their physical and mental well-being and recovery. There is nothing to gain by filing a lawsuit immediately, as some other lawyers have done when all the facts are not yet known, and many passengers are still recovering from their injuries. Once you retain ALG to represent you, you can rest assured that your legal interests are being taken care of by ALG, leaving you to focus on other important things in your life.
ALG takes a thoughtful and thorough approach to all of our cases. We have already commenced our own investigation with many interviews, consultations with our expert airline pilots and mechanics, and are performing extensive research covering many issues in the federal aviation regulations, product liability, and state law in at least 4 other states. We have prior experience with claims against Alaska Airlines, Boeing, and major aircraft component part suppliers.
Deciding when to file a lawsuit is an art. This takes time. We strategically decide which state’s laws are most advantageous to each of our clients, and we determine which states we can obtain personal jurisdiction over each defendant. This not only helps ensure a recovery for each client, but a maximum recovery. Different state laws may be more beneficial to different claimants.
For example, Washington law does not provide for punitive damages. Other states related to this action do allow claims for punitive damages. This might make a difference on where we file the case and what law we seek to apply. These important legal and strategic decisions cannot be made overnight or right after an accident when most of the underlying facts are unknown.
ALG attorneys have prior experience with claims against Boeing, Alaska Airlines, and many major aircraft component part suppliers. We have successfully handled many airframe failure accident cases. Four ALG attorneys are commercial pilots, two are licensed aircraft mechanics. We would be happy to explain our approach to you and answer any questions that you may have.
Please contact us using the form to the right or call us directly- 206.464.1166
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
ALG Attorney Hedrick Gives Talk At Paris International Aviation Law Conference
Robert was part of an international panel of aviation attorneys speaking on settlement and mediation issues in aircraft accident cases.
Three killed in Learjet accident off the California coast
Phoenix Air Group stated that the ill-fated Learjet was part of a two-plane operation involved in a Navy training exercise operating within a military-restricted area.
Provo Airport Phenom 300 fatal accident: What caused the loss of control?
Winter flying requires an extra margin of safety to account for falling snow and slippery conditions.
Hedrick addresses Federal Preemption Issues At Pacific Northwest Aviation Law Seminar
ALG attorney Robert Hedrick was invited to give a presentation at the 42nd Annual Pacific Northwest Aviation Law and Insurance Seminar, held in downtown Seattle October 9-11. His topic was "Engines, Regulations and Preemption: Spontaneous Combustion For Judges...
ALG files Suit On Aircraft Misfueling Accident
ALG attorneys Robert Hedrick and James Anderson have filed a lawsuit regarding a fatal aircraft accident in downtown Spokane, Washington. The Complaint filed by Hedrick and Anderson alleges that the aircraft was improperly fueled with Jet Fuel instead of AvGas, a...
ALG’s Hedrick Completes Speaking Tour In Australia
Robert Hedrick recently travelled down under to give a series of presentations to attorneys and law students in Australia. On May 9, 2014 he gave a presentation at the 33rd Annual Aviation Law Association of Australia and New Zealand in Melbourne, entitled Recent...
Robert F. Hedrick of Aviation Law Group speaks to Bloomberg on Malaysia Flight 370
On March 8, 2014 Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, with 239 passengers and crew, disappeared. The still missing aircraft is now presumed to have crashed with no survivors. The press sought out answers to questions involving private international aviation liability, and...
2012 Pacific Northwest Aviation and Insurance Law Conference
I just returned from one of my favorite conferences of the year - the Pacific Northwest Aviation and Insurance Law Conference. During my second year of law school, I joined the King County Bar Association Aviation Section. It is populated by nice small group of...
China’s Shrinking Rice Bowl
China's Shrinking Rice Bowl 1 Casey DuBose, Seattle Journal of Environmental Law, Draft 2, 3 Mar. 2011 “Solving the problem of feeding around one billion people must be continually designated as a high priority in running the country well and maintaining...
China opens up General Aviation Test Airspace over Hainan – 海口飞行管制分区低空空域管理改革试飞活动
One of the biggest hurdles to the civil aviation in China has been the military's tight control on the airspace. The vast majority of delays for commercial aircraft are from the ATC. Commercial pilots expect a long wait to get their clearance to push back from the...
Chinese Airlines to Pay for Delays (in theory) – 航班延误赔偿”标准”
In 2004, the CAAC promulgated rules that mandate that airlines compensate passengers who are delayed for more than 4 hours. However, those rules, in 《航班延误经济补偿指导意见》, did not provide any details on the amount, means, or enforceability of that...
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.