Global Aviation Law - Information on aviation personal injury law. Free no-obligation case consultation from national plaintiffs personal injury attorneys.
Button - Home
Button - About Our Firm
Button - Attorney Profiles
Button - Contact Us

Aviation Law Attorneys | Lawyers: Lieff Global attorneys have represented families of loved ones who died in the following aviation accidents*:
dot
2007 TAM Airlines crash in Brazil;
  
2007 Garuda Airlines crash in Indonesia;
  
2007 Adam Air crash in Indonesia;
  
2006 Gol Airlines crash in the Amazon, Brazil.
  
2006 Comair Bombardier CRJ-100 crash in Lexington, Kentucky;
  
2006 S7 Airlines Airbus A310 crash in Irkutsk, Siberia;
  
 
2005 Helios Airways Boeing 737 crash near Athens, Greece;
  
2005 Manhattan tourist helicopter crash in New York City, New York;
 
2005 Turbine Legend crash in Tucson, Arizona;
  
2005 Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 crash in Medan, Indonesia;
  
 
2004 Beech King Air 200 Crash in Bosnia-Herzegovina;
  
 
2004 Flash Airlines Boeing 737 Air Disaster off the coast of Egypt;
 
2003 Air Algerie Boeing 737 Crash at Tamanrasset, Algeria;
  
For information on earlier crashes and Lieff Global experience, click here.
  
  _____
*Our representation of clients in these cases has been by Lieff Global attorneys while at Lieff Global or prior to their joining our firm. 		 

 

Emergency Medical Flight Accidents
Airborne emergency medical services (EMS) or helicopter air ambulance flights accidents have unfortunately occured more often in the past decade. While there have been a decrease in the number of fatalities in U.S. commercial passenger flights, the opposite appears to be occuring with air ambulance services.
According to the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), the number of helicopter or air EMS accidents nearly doubled between the mid-1990s and the helicopter emergency medical services industry’s rapid growth period from 2000 to 2004. From January 2002 to January 2005, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recorded 55 EMS accidents including 41 helicopter and 14 airplane crashes which resulted in 54 fatalities and 19 serious injuries.
The recent tragedy which claimed the lives of the six-member University of Michigan organ transplant team and their cargo of donor organs on June 5, 2007 over Lake Michigan, is a reminder of the continuing need for better regulation and increased safety measures for emergency medical flight services.
National Transportation Safety Board and Air Ambulance Accidents
In a 2006 Aviation Special Investigation Report on EMS aviation operations, the NTSB recognized several key areas in which to improve EMS air safety. They found that there were 4 major problems:
  • Less stringent requirements when patients or donor organs were not on board
  • Lack of aviation flight risk evaluation programs
  • Lack of flight dispatch procedures
  • No requirements to use TAWS or Night Vision Imaging System technologies
Read the NTSB's recommendations to prevent air ambulance accidents.
FAA Advisories for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services
In response to the increasing accidents the Federal Aviation Administration formed a task force on “Helicopter Air Ambulance Accidents” and issued official guidance beginning in 2005. Their official advisories included notices encouraging coordination between the air EMS industry and the FAA Certificate Holding District Offices to determine the geographic locations of flight operators. They also included “voluntary initiatives” which:
  • Encourage risk management training for flight crews to make more analytical decisions about whether to launch a mission despite external pressures.
  • Better training for night operations and responding to inadvertent flight into deteriorating weather conditions.
  • Promote technology such as night vision goggles, terrain awareness and warning systems and radar altimeters as most fatal accidents occur at night.
  • Provide airline-type FAA oversight for operators. Identify regional FAA helicopeter EMS operations and maintenance inspectors to help certificate new operators and review the operations of existing companies.
Contact Lieff Global
For assistance with a case involving an air ambulance accident, please click here to contact a Lieff Global attorney or call us toll-free at 1-800-541-7358.
About Lieff Global
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.
Learn more about the services we provide our clients. Alternatively, you can read a summary of our firm's expertise in aviation accident cases.
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is uniquely positioned to handle the complex area of aviation law. We have over thirty years of experience litigating airplane crash cases worldwide. We have relationships with the foremost experts in the field of aviation safety and disaster analysis.
     Disclaimer/Attorney Advertising: Past success is not a guarantee of success in your case. The hiring of legal professionals is an important decision that should not be based on advertising alone. Please read our attorney advertising disclaimer.
       Copyright © 2007 Lieff Global, LLP