For information on earlier
crashes and Lieff Global experience, click
here.
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*Our representation of clients in these
cases has been by Lieff Global attorneys while at Lieff Global
or prior to their joining our firm.
Comair / Delta Air Regional Flight 5191 Airplane Accident
in Lexington, Kentucky, August 2006
SUMMARY
Lieff Global represents
families of victims of the Comair | Delta
Flight 5191 accident.
Lieff Global has also
retained David Gleave, an international airport design
and operations expert who personally inspected Blue
Grass Airport and has produced a
report on the safety of the airport and procedures
used by the FAA at issue in the Comair accident.
Families whose loved ones died in the Comair accident
are welcome to contact Lieff Global to
learn more about their legal rights without any charge
or obligation.
A Bombardier CRJ-100 commuter
plane operated by Comair, Inc., a subsidiary of
Delta Air Lines, crashed August 27, 2006 shortly
after takeoff at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington,
Kentucky, killing 47 passengers and two crew members.
The only survivor was the first officer/co-pilot,
who was critically injured.
The aircraft
attempted to take off from the wrong runway. Damaged
sod and structures extend to the crash scene from
the end Runway 26, the shorter of the two runways
at the airport. Runway 26 is a 3,500 foot strip
used solely by small general aviation aircraft.
The two-engine jet was cleared to take off from
Runway 22, which was in excess of 7,000 feet in
length.
At the time
of the accident, there was one controller in the
tower at Blue Grass Airport, who was performing
both radar and control tower functions. As a radar
controller, the individual guided the movements
of aircraft in the area of the airport. As a tower
controller, he controlled the movements of aircraft
on the ground.
This violated
an FAA policy directive reflected in this November,
16, 2005 memorandum (see
a copy of the memorandum by clicking here),
which required that there be two controllers on
duty, with one focusing on air traffic control
functions and the other responsible for controlling
ground operations.
The Legal Rights of Victims
and Families Whose Loved Ones Die in Aviation Accidents
We appreciate that this is
a time of deep pain and grieving for the families
of those who perished on Comair Flight 5191. At
the same time, you will have questions concerning
your legal rights, compensation that is available
to you, and the duties and legal responsibility
of Comair or others.
While Comair filed for bankruptcy
protection along with its corporate parent Delta,
FAA regulations require that airlines carry liability
insurance, and this insurance usually is sufficient
to compensate victims fully. We expect that claims
against Comair eventually will proceed without
being affected by the bankruptcy filing.
Families
whose loved ones died or were injured
in airplane or helicopter accidents
are welcome to contact
a lawyer at Lieff Global to
learn more about their legal rights.
We welcome the opportunity to answer
your questions free of charge and without
obligation.
The facts of this case suggest that others
aside from Comair might be held legally liable. If it appears
that the presence of a second controller in the tower would
have made a difference, a claim can be filed against the United
States, for the actions of the FAA. If the airport design or
maintenance is implicated, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County
Airport Corporation might be named in litigation. Any technical
deficiencies in the aircraft would be the responsibility of
its manufacturer, Bombardier, Inc., a Canadian company.
Lieff Global retained David Gleave,
an international airport design and operations expert, who
has produced a report
on the safety of Blue Grass Airport and procedures used
by the FAA at the airport. Gleave and Lieff Global attorneys
were present at Blue Grass Airport on September 27, 2006, during
the court-ordered inspection of the airport.
Contact Premier Aviation Law Attorneys & Lawyers
Lieff Global represents families of victims
of the Comair | Delta Flight 5191 accident. Families whose
loved ones died in the Comair accident are welcome to contact
Lieff Global to learn more about their legal rights without
any charge or obligation.
Lieff Global, LLP, is an AV-rated law
firm with offices in San Francisco and New York, and affiliate
offices worldwide. Our representation has included both Americans
and people residing in Europe and Asia in aviation lawsuits
filed worldwide.
Lieff Global is uniquely positioned
to answer your questions and represent your interests. Our
attorneys have over forty years of experience litigating airplane
crash cases worldwide. We have relationships with the foremost
experts in the fields of aviation safety and disaster analysis.
1. The National Transportation Safety
Board identifies the accident aircraft as a CRJ-200, but both
Comair and Bombardier state that it was a CRJ-100.BACK
2. In all cases, the runway number corresponds
to the first two numbers of the compass heading when a plane
takes off from that runway. For example, if a runway sends
a plane off on a compass heading of 180 degrees (due South),
the runway will be assigned the number 18. Runway 27 sends
an aircraft West. Runway 35 send an aircraft almost due North. BACK
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Desired
path via runway 22
Actual
path via runway 26
