Firm News

Aviation Accidents

• Four Dead, One Injured in Michigan Plane Crash
  Jul 14, 2010

  A twin engine Beechcraft Model 58 crashed onto I-75 in Michigan killing the pilot, who was the 73 year old grandfather of the four children on board, three of which also died in the crash.
  The thirteen year old grandson of the man was the only survivor of the crash and is still in the hospital with severe burns.
  The plane crashed shortly after takeoff during what was supposed to be a short day trip to Mackinac Island in northern Michigan.
  The grandchildren had been visiting from Isreal and had been in the States for about a week when the crash took the lives of the three girls and their grandfather.
  The cause of the crash is still being investigated by the FAA and NTSB.
  
  Read the news story about Four Dead in St. Ignace, Michigan Plane Crash.
  
  Read an updated story on Pilot, 3 Grandchildren Die in Michigan Plane Crash.
  
  The Keith Williams Law Group has represented many families and victims of aircraft accidents both foriegn and domestic.  If you or a family member have been involved in an aircraft accident and need to speak with a qualified attorney please call or click below.
  
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• Deadly plane crash in Howard Co. Arkansas
  Jun 14, 2010

  Two couples traveling to the White River in Arkansas were killed Sunday when their 1977 Piper Fixed Wing single engine went down in Howard County Arkansas.  Carl and Carolyn Davis, as well as Mike and Terri Hunt took off from DeQueen Arkansas and were on their way to visit friends on the river when the plane crashed.
  The crash was reported by resident near the Davis Mountain crash site that reported hearing a low flying aircraft followed by a loud thud.
  Authorities said the plane was not involved in the search for the missing campers of the Albert Pike Campground flooding which was only 15 miles from the crash site.
  
  To read more click 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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  - 82 - 90

• Mangalore crash to be investigated by a court of inquiry
  Jun 10, 2010

  The crash of Air India Express flight IX-812 in Bangalore India is set to be investigated by a court of inquiry. 
  The Boeing 737-800 crashed when it overshot the runway at Bajpe Airport on May 22, in Bangalore India.  The plane plunged down a hill and into a ravine where it burst into flames killing 158 people on board.
  The government has appointed its retired Air Marshal to conduct the investigation as well as four experts from different fields to assist him.
  
  To read more click here.
  
  The Keith Williams Law Group has represented many families and victims of aircraft accidents both foriegn and domestic.  If you or a family member have been involved in an aircraft accident and need to speak with a qualified attorney please call or click below.
  
  Online - Click Here
  Toll Free - 1.866.820.4457
  Nashville - 615.313.3999
  Lebanon - 615.444.2900      - 83 - 90

• Air India Express Plane Crash Kills Scores
  May 23, 2010

  
  Air India Express flight 812 from Dubai to Mangalore in Southern India, overshot the hilltop runway where it was landing killing over 160 passengers.  The crash happened when the Boeing 737 traveled off the end of the runway.   The runway is located on a hilltop with valleys of  200 to 250ft immediately beyond paved surface of Runway.  Mangalore-Bajpe Airport (IXE).  Investigators on the scene and aviation experts said the unusual configuration of the runway made landing there complicated.
  
   It was reported by the Indian Government that eight passengers survived the plunge into the hilly terrain where the aircraft burst into flames.  One survivor stated,  "as soon as we landed, the tire burst."  Another survivor told reporters, "within three seconds there was a fire blast. The inside was filled with smoke."
   
  The runway at Mangalore-Bajpe Airport (IXE) is built on a plateau and is surrounded by cliffs immediately beyond paved surface of runway.  Indian aviation safety experts have expressed concern about safety standards in India's rapidly expanding aviation sector.  Last year, there were three near-miss collisions between planes at the airport in Mumbai, India.    Air India has been in the news for more that one safety related incidents.  This includes a mid air scuffle between crew members and flight attendants during a flight.  This altercation left the aircraft unmanned for minutes.  In September of 2009 an Air India flight to Toronto was delayed while the crew searched for rats on board the aircraft. 
   
  Air India Express is owned by the Indian government and has reportedly been experiencing financial difficulties lately due to a decrease in air travel.   Kapil Kaul, the chief executive of India and the Middle East at the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation, a research group, said pilot error was a likely cause.
   
  The aircraft was relatively new.  It was a Boeing 737-800 with having made its first flight in December 2007, some 2 years and five months before the fatal crash.
  
  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      - 84 - 90

• Hospital Wing Medical Helicopter Crash Near Brownsville TN
  Mar 26, 2010

  Federal aviation officials are investigating the cause of the fatal crash of a Hospital Wing medical helicopter near Brownsville, Tennessee.  Another medical helicopter company, AirEvac Lifetime turned down the flight due to dangerous and threatening weather. 
  
  A spokesperson for AirEvac Lifetime stated," We turned it down because the weather was bad." "I have no idea if it was the same exact patient, but it was the only call we received at that time."
  
  Three people including the pilot and two nurses were killed in the crash of the Hospital Wing medical helicopter.  They were Doug Phillips a retired Memphis Police Department pilot, Cindy Parker and Misty Brogdan, both flight nurses.  Phillips and Parker were from Dyersburg, TN while Brogdon resided in Jackson, TN.
  
  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the crash that occurred in a wheat field about four miles east of Brownsville.  Brownsville is approximately 55 miles northeast of Memphis, Tennessee.
  
  Reports indicate that the medical helicopter was on it's way back to its base in Brownsville after making a trip from Decatur County General Hospital in Parsons, Tennessee to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee.
  
  A nearby resident reported hearing a "whoomp, whoomp, whoomp" sound followed by a loud noise a little before feeling her house shake from the impact. 
  
  A spokesperson with the FAA said that the pilot did not indicate any problems prior to the crash. A thunderstorm was in progress immediately before the crash at McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport in Jackson, about 25 miles east of Brownsville.
  
  The NTSB and the FAA will investigate all possible causes of the crash including at everything from the aircraft to the weather.

  Hospital Wing is a helicopter medical emergency transport service jointly owned and operated by Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Baptist Memorial Hospital, the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis and Crittenden Memorial Hospital in West Memphis.
  
  The joint venture between the above healthcare providers, employ 45 workers. It flies three helicopters from its base in Memphis TN, one from the Brownsville, TN base and one from the Oxford, MS base.
  
  Hospital Wing faced safety questions in May 1987, which grounded its fleet for a week, after one of it's helicopters experienced engine failure en route to a training program in Oxford, MS. The cause of the problem was determined to be a turbine blade that had come loose from the engine. Further investigation of that incident by the NTSB and the FAA indicated cracks in the turbine blades of two other aircraft owned and maintained by Hospital Wing.

   

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• NTSB Hearings Probe Drastic Increase in Medical Helicopter Crashes
  Mar 26, 2010

  Over a year ago, The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held hearings on how to stem the "drastic increase" in medical helicopter accidents across the Country.

  During a recent 12-month period, the board investigated nine fatal medical helicopter accidents that killed a total on 35 people.

  Among the issues to be discussed at the hearing will be flight operations, aircraft safety equipment, training and oversight.

  A spokesperson for the NTSB said there were 55 EMS-related aviation accidents -- both fatal and nonfatal -- between January 2002 and January 2005 that could have been prevented with "simple corrective actions." In those crashes, 54 people were killed, and 18 were seriously injured.

  The NTSB recommended to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in January 2006 that all medical helicopter or chopper operators should be required to develop and implement a risk evaluation program.  They further recommended that they be required to use dispatch and flight procedures that include up-to-date weather information.  Another recommendation by the agency was to require the installation of "terrain awareness and warning systems" on the emergency aircraft.  A final recommendation was to require medical flight operators to follow federal regulations regarding their flights.

   The recommendations of the NTSB have not been fully implemented, By the FAA as of 2010.

   

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• Private Plane Crashes in Macon County Tennessee
  Feb 11, 2010

  
  A small privately owned airplane crashed in Macon County, Tennessee after its landing gear made contact with snow on the ground flipping the plane on to its top.
  
  The pilot walked away after the crash with no injuries.  
  
  The NTSB and the FAA will further the investigation of the crash.   
  
  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     - 87 - 90

• Ethiopian Air Flight 409 Tumbled Out of Sky Off Coast of Lebanon
  Feb 09, 2010

  
  Investigators of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 that went down off the coast of Lebanon are still trying to determine the cause of the accident. Witnesses reported that the Boeing 737 tumbled like "fire falling down from the sky" into the Mediterranean Sea.
  
  Terrorism and foul play were ruled out very early in the investigation, which leaves only the weather or a catastrophic failure of some crucial part of the aircraft to blame. The weather at the time the Boeing 737-800 took off was bad, consisting of driving rain, lightning and thunder.  However, investigators believe that the bad weather in itself would not have been enough to bring down the jet.  
  
  A spokesperson for the Lebanese army said the aircraft was on fire shortly after takeoff.  Other witnesses reported the plane broke up into three pieces.  
  
  The Boeing 737 is considered one of the safest commercial aircrafts in service today, although it has been involved in a series of incidents and crashes over the past 15 years.  These crashes have been linked to problems with a valve in the rudder assembly. The valve reportedly would malfunction and cause the rudder to turn independently of the pilot's commands.  
  
  The plane was carrying 90 passengers and crew bound for the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.   All aboard were killed. - 88 - 90

• Ethiopian Airline Flight 409 Flight Data Recorder Located
  Jan 30, 2010

  
  The Flight Data Recorder (also known as the "Black Box" or "FDR") of Ethiopian Airline Flight 409 that crashed off the coast of Lebanon, has been found in 1,300 meters of water in the Mediterranean Sea.  The FDR has not yet been retrieved.
  
  The Boeing 737-800 was carrying eight crew members and 82 passengers when it crashed shortly after takeoff from Beirut Lebanon. The plane crashed about 2 miles west of the town of Na'ameh, which is about 9 miles south of Beirut.
  
  The government owned Ethiopian Airlines is one of the largest carriers in Africa. 
  
  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  
    - 89 - 90

• Fort Campbell Helicopter Crash in Colorado Due to Pilot Error
  Jan 27, 2010

  
  Four Fort Campbell soldiers died when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training mission on Mount Massive in Colorado.  The helicopter and crew were from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers.  
  
  Investigators say that the crew's flight plan failed to take into consideration the helicopter's diminished performance limits at the 14,000 foot altitude of their training area.  The investigators cited human error as the cause of the crash.  
  
  The pilots, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Terrance W. Geer, 40, and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert M. Johnson, 41, along with crew members, Staff Sgt. Chad A. Tucker, 28, a helicopter mechanic, and Staff Sgt. Paul R. Jackson, 33, an aviation standardization noncommissioned officer, were all decorated combat veterans with 10 to 20 deployments each.  
  
  An Army spokeswoman said that the unit has already updated its procedures to include more specific altitude information in their flight plans.   Night Stalkers often must fly in extreme conditions, including high-altitude takeoffs and landings, and they train in Colorado and elsewhere to get accustomed to those conditions.
  
  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    - 90 - 90