Firm News

Aviation Accidents

• Iranian Caspian Flight 7908 – Williams Law Group Retained by Surviving Family
  Aug 04, 2009

  The aviation attorneys of Williams Law Group have been retained by one of the surviving family members of the commercial aviation crash of Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 in Iran.
  
  Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 crashed outside the city of Qazvin in north-western Iran, on 15 July 2009, killing all 168 aboard.  The fatal crash marks the 57^th loss of a Russian built Tupolev Tu-154 and the 5^th crash of this aircraft type in Iran.  
  
  The Russian jetliner had departed Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport and was in route to the Armenian capital Yerevan.  
  
  Caspian Airlines was established in 1993 in Tehran, Iran.  It is a joint Russian and Iranian venture.  It operates services between Tehran and other major cities in Iran and international Flights to Armenia, Syria, Turkey, UAE and Ukraine. Its main base is Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran.  
  
  If a family member or other loved one has been the victim of an aviation disaster you need an experienced aviation attorney.  Please call or click to speak directly with B. Keith Williams.    
  
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• Plane Crash Takes the Life of Mt. Juliet TN Man
  Jul 27, 2009

  James Michael Bowers, 46, of Mt. Juliet , TN was flying a single engine airplane from Tennessee to Wisconsin when it crashed in Wabash County, IL. 
  
  Bowers was solo piloting a 1941 Luscombe vintage single-engine airplane to an experimental aircraft show in Oshkosh, WI.  He was the only person on board and died upon impact.  
  
  An autopsy of Bowers did not reveal any health problems. The FAA will investigate whether a mechanical problem, faulty maintenance or pilot error caused the fatal crash.  
  
  It was reported that Mr. Bowers worked for the Nashville Electric Service and was working toward a career as an electrical engineer.  He leaves behind a wife and stepdaughter.  
  
  B. Keith Williams, the other attorneys and staff at The Williams Law Group send our condolences to the family.     - 102 - 110

• Iranian Plane Crash Black Boxes Recovered
  Jul 22, 2009

  Caspian Airlines' flight 7908 "black boxes" have been recovered.  The Russian made, Tupolev 154M jet crashed 16 minutes after takeoff in northern Iran while in route to Armenia.  All 168 aboard were killed.
  
  The so called "black boxes" include the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorders (FDR).  The CVR and the FDRs will be key in determining the cause of the crash which remains unknown.  CVRs and the FRDs  are built to survive crashes and intense fires such as this one.  They record a plane's performance, such as air speed and altitude, as well as communications between the cockpit crew and with air traffic controllers on the ground.  
  
  Witnesses reported that the tail of the jet seemed to be on fire.  The engines of the Tu-154M  are located in the rear of the airplane.  Other reports said that it appeared that the pilot was circling with the landing gear dow in search of a place to make an emergency landing.  The commercial jet crashed nose first, plowing a long trench into fields outside the village of  Jannat Abad, in northwestern Iran.  
  
  A team of Russian air accidents experts are investigating the crash.   
  
  The crash of Caspian Airlines' flight 7908, is included in a string of air disasters in recent years that have indicated Iran's problems maintaining it's aging fleet of commercial aircraft.  Iranian airlines include private and state run airlines.  Both are chronically strapped for cash and in turn, the fleet's maintenance has suffered as a result.  
  
  The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran that prevents the airlines from updating their 30 plus year old American aircraft.  Instead Iranian airlines have come to rely upon Russian aircraft.  Many of these planes date back to the Soviet-era and parts are diddicult to find due to the Soviet Union's demise.  
  
  It was reported that the Tu-154M that crashed was built in 1987 and was bought by Iran in 1998.  It was also reported to have an "overhaul certificate" valid until 2010.  "Overhaul Certificate" is not a term used by American and most European aviation experts.  It is not clear at this time exactly what the maintenance records of the aircraft will show.    
  
  The crash is Iran's worst since February 2003, when a Russian-made Ilyushin 76 carrying members of the elite Revolutionary Guards crashed in the mountains of southeastern Iran.  That crash killed all 302 people aboard. That crash was a sign of how maintenance problems have persisted with the Iranian airlines.  
  
  If a family member or other loved one has been the victim of an aviation disaster you need an experienced aviation attorney.  Please call or click to speak directly with B. Keith Williams.    
  
  Online - Click Here
  Toll Free - 1.866.820.4457
  Nashville - 615.313.3999
  Lebanon - 615.444.2900    - 103 - 110

• Nashville Flight Makes Emergency Landing
  Jul 14, 2009

  A commercial airline flight from Nashville, TN was forced to make an emergency landing after the cabin suddenly depressurized, deploying cabin oxygen masks.  The Southwest Airlines, Boeing 737 was in route from Nashville to Baltimore and made the emergency landing in Charleston, WV after a football-sized hole formed in the rear of the fuselage forward of the vertical stabilizer.  There were no injuries.
  
  The NTSB and the FAA are investigating the cause of the incident.  
  
  The damaged jet will remain on the ground in West Virginia until federal inspectors can finish their examination.  In addition to this inspection, all 181 of Southwest's 737-300s -- about a third of the airline's fleet -- will be inspected overnight due to the emergency landing after departing Nashville.  
  
  This incident brings us to mind of the  1988 Aloha Airlines flight in Hawaii, where another Boeing 737's top fuselage structure failed.  That failure was determined to be caused by unstable crack propagation due to improper maintenance on a bonded area of the skin of the fuselage.  In the Aloha Air incident, a passenger noticed the crack when boarding but failed to report it to the crew.  
  
  If a family member or other loved one has been the victim of an aviation disaster, you need an experienced aviation attorney.  Please call or click to speak directly with B. Keith Williams.    
  
  Online - Click Here
  Toll Free - 1.866.820.4457
  Nashville - 615.313.3999
  Lebanon - 615.444.2900   - 104 - 110

• Cessna Airworthiness Directive issued by FAA 150s & 152s
  Jun 10, 2009

  The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive (AD) for all Cessna 150 and 152s.  This AD  affects some 17,000 Cessnas and was first proposed in 2007.  The AD requires owners and operators to either install a placard in the aircraft which prohibits spins ansd other aerobatic maneuvers, or to replace some of the rudder parts.  These alterations to the airplane costs owners and operators about $500.00.
  
  AOPA opposes this AD.  The aircraft owners association recommended that the FAA issue a special information bulletin for a one-time inspection of the rudder of the affected airplanes. 
  
  The AD stems from two separate fatal crashes in a Cessna 150 and a Cessna 152  in which pilots were practicing spins and were unable to recover control of the aircraft. 
  
  AOPA claimed that the aircraft in one of the fatal crashes was not airworthy and should have not been flying.  It was alleged that the second fatal crash was caused by improper installation of the Cessna's rudder bumpers. AOPA's president said that they were working with the FAA to try to mitigate the impact of the AD and has contacted the FAA's small airplane directorate to see why such a sweeping action was deemed necessary.  The Cessna Pilots Association (CPA) has voiced concerns over the AD being issued.
  
  The FAA reasoned the AD was necessary because Cessna Inc. demonstrated that there could be contact between the rudder and elevator even when the aircraft met type design and Cessna felt the kit installation resolved that issue.   Cessna owners and operators must comply with the AD within 100 hours of operation of the affected aircraft after a June 17, 2009 deadline, or within 12 months of the date - which ever is first.  
  
  If a family member or other loved one has been the victim of an aviation disaster you need an experienced aviation attorney.  Please call or click to speak directly with B. Keith Williams.    
  
  Online - Click Here
  Toll Free - 1.866.820.4457
  Nashville - 615.313.3999
  Lebanon - 615.444.2900   - 105 - 110

• Plane Crash Near Knoxville KIlls Two
  Jun 08, 2009

  A plane crash near Knoxville, Tn claimed the lives of two Tennessee men over the weekend.  Bret Smith, 40, of Pleasantville, Tenn., the pilot, and Ron Siedentoph, 54, of Lake Way Drive in West Knox County, were killed when the small sea plane crashed into Melton Hill Lake.
  
  It is unclear from the FAA records of the type of aircraft.  One report by knoxnews.com  it as a "Searey" fixed-wing, experimental craft built in 2001, while wbir.com  claims the FAA records reveal that it was a fixed-wing single-engine SeaRay modified Piper Cherokee.
  
  The single engine plane which carried two passengers crashed into the lake while attempting a landing on the water.
  
  A witness described the moments before the crash as, "... the plane was flying very low before it nose-dived and hit the water.  It had been circling and we thought it was going to hit the trees, then it went straight down and we heard the sound, like a big slam on the water."   Other witnesses said that they saw the plane bank sharply and then hit the water at a steep 45-degree angle.
  
  It was reported that he Siedentoph family was hosting a gathering in honor of a son's upcoming wedding.  
  
  
  Keith Williams Law Group
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• Colgan Air Flight 3407’s Captain Caused Crash - NTSB
  May 14, 2009

  Colgan Air Flight 3407's Captain did the exact opposite of what he should have done trying to pull out of a fatal stall that led to the crash near Buffalo on Feb 12, 2009.
  
  Captain Wally Warner, who said he conducted more than 1,000 stall recoveries for the Q-400 test flights, was asked by Debbie Hersman, a NTSB board member, if pulling back the yoke, causing the plane to pitch upward, was the right action.
  
  "No, the proper thing to do, as he had done the 1,000 times he put the Q-400 through its paces, was to lower the nose and increase power." Warner replied.  "In my opinion," Warner testified, "even at the altitude the airplane was at, you could still lower the nose, increase the power and recover."
  
  Earlier witnesses virtually ruled out another possibility, a tail stall. A NASA aerospace engineer showed a video, which Renlow viewed, showing a NASA test pilot recovering from a rare tail stall. What the NASA test pilot did to come out of the tail stall was what Renslow did: Jerk the nose of the plane up.
  
  Why show the video, Ratavasky was asked, for a plane that does not encounter tail stalls?
  "Making a pilot aware of the aerodynamics of an airplane is valuable," he answered.
  
  Before the viewing of the final 2 minutes of Flight 3407's last landing of the day was played, Lorenda Ward, the hearing office and NTSB investigator in charge, allowed a minute for families who could not bear to watch the recreation to leave the hearing room.

  The animation did not show the idle cockpit chatter (FAA Violation below 10,000 ft.) between Renslow and Shaw. There were other violations that Ward mentioned in her opening statement including sleeping in the crew rooms and commuting to work via a federal express flight the night before.

   The animation began at 10:14 p.m., when the Q 400 was 2,300 feet above the airport. A minute later, the air traffic controller cleared the flight for landing. The flight crew put the landing gear down, and a few seconds later, the trouble began, when the stick shaker warning activated. The aircraft suddenly pitched up, it rolled to the left, rolled to the right.

   The aircraft then started its deep descent as it plummeted to earth in Clarence Center. The animation ended at that point, and the next thing shown was an aerial view of the wreckage, only the blue Colgan tail recognizable.

   Mark V. Rosenker, acting chairman of the NTSB, said the three-day hearing will be a continued search for the causes of the plane crash.

   The NTSB, he said, holds these hearings and determines the cause of aviation accidents in the hopes of preventing future disasters.
  
  Read the article here...

   If a family member or other loved one has been the victim of an aviation disaster you need an experienced aviation attorney.  Please call or click to speak directly with B. Keith Williams.  
  
  Online - Click Here
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• Flight 3407 of Continental - Colgan Air Investigation Intensifies
  May 07, 2009

  The federal investigation into the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York is focusing in on an important potential shortcoming on the part of Colgan Air, which operated the Continental Connection aircraft.  The National Transportation Safety Board's investigation is looking into Colgan's pilot training program, especially regarding how the plane's stall protection system operates in icing conditions.

  At the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration is reportedly investigating whether Colgan Air has over scheduled its pilots in violation of federal rules.  It is unclear, however, whether the FAA's investigation is connected with the Flight 3407 crash in any way.

  If either insufficient training, or pilot fatigue related to over-scheduling of pilots, turns out to be a cause of the crash, it would have important potential consequences for Colgan Air in terms of potential liability for the crash and death of 50 persons on board. 

  Generally, an airline can be held liable for the acts of its employees where the employees were negligent in performing their duties within the course and scope of their employment.  In that sense, an airline's liability essentially hinges on whether their employees negligently carried out their duties. 

  On the other hand, if an airline has an inadequate training program or over scheduled its pilots, those would implicate direct actions on the part of the airline itself, for which it could be held liable regardless of whether the pilots themselves acted wrongly.  It might also open the possibility of punitive damages against the airline, which are generally available to punish and deter similar future behavior.

  The federal investigations surrounding Flight 3407 and Colgan Air are still ongoing, and we must wait to see how the facts in this case play out.  If, however, it turns out that either inadequate training or over-scheduling of pilots factored into the Flight 3407 crash, Colgan Air would likely face substantially higher potential liability in connection with the crash.

  Read more about the Flight 3407 Investigation...

  If a family member or other loved one has been the victim of an aviation disaster you need an experienced aviation attorney.  Please call or click to speak directly with B. Keith Williams.  

  Online - Click Here
  Toll Free - 1.866.820.4457
  Nashville - 615.313.3999
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• Catastrophic Failure Caused Super Puma Copter Crash
  Apr 14, 2009

  Catastrophic failure of the main rotor gearbox of the Super Puma Helicopter was the cause for that crashed into the North Sea off the coast of Scotland earlier this month.  The gearbox failure caused the blades to separate from the aircraft and slice off the tail, according to the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) of the British Government.

  The rotor blades detached from the helicopter and then struck the tail, cutting the tail and the pylon from the main fuselage.  These findings were contained in the AAIB's interim report which is similar to the NTSB's preliminary reports, according to cnn.com.

  The fatal helicopter crash killed all 16 aboard.  It was located about 11 miles off the coast and was on it's way from a gas platform named, the Miller platform to Aberdeen, Scotland.  The weather was reported as mostly clear skys and light winds at the time of the copter crashed.

  The pilots made a mayday call 12 seconds after the co-pilot had radioed his arrival time to the controller.  The radio controller tried to immediately to respond to the distressed call, but was unable to make contact, according to the cockpit voice (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR).

  The radar information available shows the personnel transport helicopter heading towards the coast at about 2,000 feet, then climbing to 2,200 feet before making a aggressive right turn before rapidly descending.  

  A witness on a supply ship which was nearby stated, "Immediately after impact, he saw the four main rotor blades, still connected at their hub, strike the water," the report says. "Around this time, he also heard two bangs close together.

  The AAIB has issued a safety recommendation urging operators to run further checks and enhance monitoring of the gearbox on all AS332L2 Super Puma helicopters.

  The helicopter's operator was Bond Offshore Helicopters. 

  If a family member or other loved one has been the victim of an aviation disaster you need an experienced aviation attorney.  Please call or click to speak directly with B. Keith Williams.  
  
  Online - Click Here
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• Faulty Maintenance Cause of American Airlines Flight 1400 Fire
  Apr 08, 2009

  The forced landing of an American Airlines flight 1400 in St. Louis due to an engine fire was caused by faulty maintenance according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).  Contributing factors included the pilot's error in failing to complete a checklist during the emergency and American's management's failure in detecting flawed maintenance procedures.

  AMR Corp. the parent company of American Airlines was forced by regulators to ground planes last year for inspections not up to manufacturers' standards.   The specific cause of the St. Louis fire was because maintenance workers repeatedly used a tool to manually start the engine, which use was strictly prohibited by The Boeing Company, the MD-82's, manufacturer. 

  It was reported by bloomberg.com that NTSB Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker told reporters, "You can't just be taking processes out of your hip pocket that are not the approved manuals, that are not the approved procedures, and expect to be able to get the appropriate results."

  The NTSB found that the American mechanics had bent a component of the aircraft when they used the prohibited tool, which led to the Sept. 28, 2007 fire. The mechanics used the prohibited method because their co-workers had failed to detect a worn out filter that prevented normal starts.  The mechanics mistakenly replaced a start valve six times in 12 days before the accident, without realizing the problem was the filter which was worn out.

  The NTSB report stated that if American's own maintenance procedures had been followed precisely, the incident and potential tragedy would have been prevented. 

  The pilots in control of American Airlines flight 1400 never completed a checklist for engine-fire emergencies.  This pilot error caused the blaze to last much longer than it would have had the checklist been followed. Bloomberg.com stated Rosenker said, "There were a host of serious problems going on in that cockpit" and ‘the problems, "when you added them all together, could have been extremely catastrophic."

  The Allied Pilots Association believes the evidence pointed to failure to follow American's repair processes, "clearly compromising the effectiveness of their maintenance reliability program."

  The NTSB also faulted American's maintenance-monitoring system for not detecting the flaws in their maintenance procedures.  The safety board recommended that the carrier correct deficiencies in the so-called Continuing Analysis and Surveillance System.

  Similar evaluations have occurred at Southwest Airlines Co. and Continental Airlines Inc. 

  If a family member or other loved one has been the victim of an aviation disaster you need an experienced aviation attorney.  Please call or click to speak directly with B. Keith Williams.  

   

  Online - Click Here
  Toll Free - 1.866.820.4457
  Nashville - 615.313.3999
  Lebanon - 615.444.2900 

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