2006 Press Article Excerpts

Newsday, "GOL Airline Crash Lawsuit Update"

         Long Island pilots Joseph Lepore and Jan Paladino may be home for the holidays, but the investigations and litigation set in motion by the midair collision in Brazil will be continuing into the new year and possibly beyond. More...

Associated Press, "U.S. Pilots Charged in Brazil Jet Crash"

          Police on Friday formally accused two U.S. pilots in connection with Brazil's deadliest air disaster, saying their "lack of caution" at the controls of an executive jet played a role in the collision over the Amazon that killed 154 people. One of the pilots' lawyers, former Justice Minister Jose Carlos Dias, called the accusation biased and said police were simply "looking for someone to blame for the crime." More...

BBC, "US pilots charged in Brazil crash"

          The Brazilian authorities have charged two United States pilots with endangering air safety following the country's worst aviation disaster. Joseph Lepore, 42, and Jan Paladino, 34, face trial over the crash in September, in which 154 people died. More...

Associated Press, "American lawyers add families to suit in Brazil air crash"

          American attorneys representing families of victims in Brazil's worst air disaster said Wednesday they filed a second lawsuit adding the families of 22 victims to an original lawsuit filed earlier this month. The legal action filed in the Eastern District federal court in Brooklyn, New York cites executive-jet company ExcelAire Service Inc. and its pilots. It also names Honeywell International Inc., saying defective equipment contributed to the crash that killed 154 aboard a Brazilian commercial airliner. More...

Newsday, "Probe eyes function of radio unit; Investigators look to see if pilots in Brazil crash made mistake in using critical device as new lawsuit is filed"

          While air traffic control errors seem to be growing more likely as the primary cause for the Sept. 29 midair collision in Brazil that killed 154, the radio management unit, or RMU, is under scrutiny from Brazilian and American investigators, according to aviation experts. The RMU is a rectangular electronic console that pilots on larger aircraft use to program critical navigation and communication equipment. More...

Associated Press, "Lawyers for Brazil air crash victims file suit in U.S."

          American attorneys representing the families of victims in Brazil's worst air disaster filed suit in a U.S. federal court Monday against ExcelAire Service Inc. and Honeywell International Inc. alleging negligence. More...

Gazeta Mercantil, "Famílias contratam advogados para fazer investigação paralela"

          Escritório americano é especializado em ações judiciais de indenização em casos de acidentes aéreos. Advogados norte-americanos farão uma investigação paralela à conduzida por autoridades brasileiras para levantar as causas do acidente com o Boeing 737-800 da Gol que matou 154 pessoas. Os advogados Lexi Hazam e Robert Lieff -do escritório americano Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, especializado em processos de indenização em casos de acidentes aéreos- e o brasileiro Leonardo Amarante foram contratados por familiares das vítimas. Mais...

Aprenda mais sobre o caso.

Associated Press, "Victims' Lawyers Probe Brazil Accident"

          American attorneys representing families of victims in Brazil's worst air disaster said Monday they were conducting their own investigation to determine responsibility for the crash that killed 154 people and seek compensation. Lexi Hazam, an attorney with the San Francisco law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, said the probe, parallel to a separate government inquiry, would be supervised by Hans-Peter Graf, a former head investigator for the Swiss Aviation Authority. More...

Folha de S.Paulo, "Parentes decidem que irão pedir indenização nos EUA"

          Famílias das vítimas brasileiras do Vôo 1907 da Gol contrataram um escritório de advogados de San Francisco, na Califórnia, especializado em pedidos de indenização por acidentes aéreos. Eles vão abrir uma ação civil nos Estados Unidos pedindo compensação financeira pela perda da vida de seus parentes no acidente. Robert Lieff, proprietário da firma, confirmou à Folha a contratação, mas não quis precisar o número exato de familiares, que "passaria de uma dezena". Aprenda mais...

The New York Times, "Brazil Air Force Cites Faults and Confusion in Fatal Gol Airlines Flight 1907 Crash"

          Brazilian Air Force officials on Thursday identified what they said were equipment breakdowns and confusion that probably contributed to the apparent collision of two jets over the Amazon a week ago. Investigators still have not determined how three systems failed: a nearly new, top-notch air traffic control network and an anticollision system on each of the planes. More...

Learn more about the Gol Brazil Rainforest plane crash and the rights of the families of victims.

The New York Times, "Equipment on Plane in Brazil Collision May Have Been Faulty"

          Brazilian Air Force investigators confirmed Wednesday that the Boeing 737 involved in an apparent midair collision last Friday was visible on radar until the time of the accident. They declined to say whether the other plane, an Embraer executive jet, was also visible, an indication that equipment on the smaller plane to make it visible to the airliner may not have been working. More...

Learn more about the Gol Brazil Rainforest plane crash and the rights of the families of victims.

Associated Press, "Brazil Probes Cause of Midair Collision between Gol Airlines and Legacy Jet"

          Two American executive jet pilots were ordered by a judge to stay in Brazil while authorities investigate whether they caused a midair collision with an airliner that crashed into the Amazon, killing all 155 people aboard. A Brazilian newspaper reported that the pilots' Legacy jet, which was carrying seven Americans, disobeyed an order by the control tower to descend to a lower altitude just before coming into contact with Gol airlines Flight 1907. More...

Learn more about the Gol Brazil Rainforest plane crash and the rights of the families of victims.

The New York Times, "Colliding With Death at 37,000 Feet, and Living"

          It had been an uneventful, comfortable flight. With the window shade drawn, I was relaxing in my leather seat aboard a $25 million corporate jet that was flying 37,000 feet above the vast Amazon rainforest. The 7 of us on board the 13-passenger jet were keeping to ourselves. Without warning, I felt a terrific jolt and heard a loud bang, followed by an eerie silence, save for the hum of the engines. More...

Learn more about the Gol Brazil Rainforest plane crash and the rights of the families of victims.

The New York Times, "Midair Collision Probably Led to Brazil Crash, Officials Say"

          Investigators said Sunday that they believed the crash of a Brazilian jetliner with 155 aboard in the Amazon rainforest was probably caused by a collision with a small business jet. Rescuers ruled out the possibility of finding survivors from the Friday crash, the worst in Brazilian history. More...

Learn more about the legal rights of the families of victims of airplane crashes.

Associated Press, "No survivors in Brazil plane crash"

          Authorities said Sunday there were no survivors among the 155 people aboard the Brazilian jetliner that crashed deep in the Amazon jungle in the nation’s worst air disaster, as rescue workers began pulling bodies out of the twisted wreckage. More...

Learn more about the legal rights of the families of victims of airplane crashes.

Associated Press, "Brazil air force finds jetliner wreckage"

          Brazilian air force pilots spotted the wrecked fusilage of a jetliner that crashed deep in the Amazon jungle on Saturday, and an aviation official said it was unlikely any of the 155 people aboard had survived. The president of Brazil's airport authority, Jose Carlos Pereira, said the pilots searched for Gol airlines Flight 1907 through the night in the remote region. More...

Learn more about the legal rights of the families of victims of airplane crashes.

Associated Press, "Brazilian Boeing 737 jet missing over Amazon jungle"

          A Brazilian jetliner with 155 people aboard was reported missing Friday over the Amazon jungle, aviation authorities said. Initially, the officials said they believed Gol airlines flight 1907 had collided with a smaller plane after the jetliner left the jungle city of Manaus in the remote south western region of Para state. News reports said the plane reportedly struck a Brazilian-made Legacy, a smaller executive jet. More...

Lexington Herald-Leader (Kentucky), "Blue Grass Airport Runway Examined for Evidence in Comair 5191 Crash"

          A private jet with a cockpit comparable to Comair's Bombardier CRJ 1000 went down the runway at 6:30 a.m. and taxied down part of it three times in an attempt to learn what the Comair Flight 5191 pilot and co-pilot saw on Aug. 27 before the 6:07 a.m. crash. More...

Learn more about the August 2006 Comair Flight 5191 plane crash and Lieff Cabraser's work on behalf of families of victims.

Associated Press, "Comair crash survivor has surgery"

        Doctors want to stabilize James Polehinke's fractured spine. The co-pilot was the lone survivor of the Aug. 27 crash that killed 49 people. More...

Lexington Herald-Leader (Kentucky), "Comair Gives List of Passengers: Avoids Contempt Citation"

        After Fayette Circuit Judge Pamela Goodwine threatened to hold Comair in contempt of court, the airline yesterday provided contact information for relatives of Flight 5191 victims. More...

Associated Press , "Comair Air Crash: Lexington, Kentucky tower chief was criticized in FAA e-mails"

          The day after the plane crash that killed 49 people, high-ranking officials with the Federal Aviation Administration suggested that the Lexington air traffic manager was a "renegade" and speculated he would be fired for having only one controller on duty at the time. More...

Learn more about the Comair Disaster and the rights of families of victims of the crash.

Los Angeles Times, "Comair Crash: Comair Says It Had Outdated Airport Chart"

          Comair was using an outdated chart of Lexington's Blue Grass Airport when one of its planes took off on the wrong runway and crashed, killing 49 people, and the airline is now urging pilots to use "extreme caution," according to an e-mail obtained by the Associated Press. More...

Associated Press, "Comair Plane Accident: Controllers Raised Concerns Before Crash"

          Months before the Comair jet crash that killed 49 people, air traffic controllers at the Lexington airport wrote to federal officials complaining about a hostile working environment in the tower and short-staffing on the overnight shift, according to letters obtained by The Associated Press. More...

Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), "Comair Airplane Crash News: Airport diagrams incorrect; Pilots urged to be extremely cautious"

          Diagrams of Lexington's Blue Grass Airport issued to Comair pilots last week did "not accurately reflect actual airport signage," the company said in a memo to pilots in which it urged them to use "extreme caution." More...

Guardian Unlimited (UK), "Airplane Crash Update: Comair Warns Pilots About Airport Signs"

          Comair has begun warning pilots to use "extreme caution" when navigating runways at the airport where a crash killed 49 people last month, saying some diagrams aren't accurate, according to an e-mail obtained Monday by The Associated Press. More...

Lexington Kentucky Herald-Leader, "Aviation Law: Victim's family sues Comair"

          The family of a 39-year-old man from Lafayette, La., has sued Comair Inc. over the crash of Flight 5191. Bryan Keith Woodward, an electrician, had gone to Kentucky with Jamie Hebert and their two daughters, Lauren Hebert, 15, and Mattie-Kay Hebert, 11, attorney David Wise of Chicago said yesterday. More...

Associated Press, "Air Crash News: FAA imposes 'no nap' policy for air controllers"

National directive comes after crash in Ky. killed 49 out of 50 on board

          Air traffic controllers who nap during break times could be suspended for up to 10 days under rules the Federal Aviation Administration has begun enforcing nationally since the deadly crash of Comair Flight 5191. Learn more...

Kansas City Star, "Airplane Accident News: Pilot may have called the wrong flight number before Lexington, Kentucky Comair Flight 5191 crash"

          In addition to departing from the wrong runway and initially getting on the wrong plane, one of the pilots on Comair Flight 5191 to Atlanta might have made a third mistake: In talking to the control tower before the fatal crash, one of the pilots called out the wrong flight number and city. More about the problems leading to the Comair Flight 5191 August 2006 Lexington, Kentucky airplane disaster...

USA Today, "Air Crash Report: Airport construction projects have created dangers before"

          Dan Silverthorn had just touched down when his single-engine Beech C23 jolted violently and careered off the runway on its belly in a shower of sparks. From the air, the veteran pilot couldn't tell that the runway at Higginsville, Mo., had a fresh layer of pavement that ended abruptly, creating an 8-inch ledge that ripped the landing gear from his plane like the pull-tab from a sardine can. More...

USA Today, "Comair Air Crash: 1st victims of Ky. Comair Flight 5191 plane crash buried"

          Clark and Bobbie Sue Benton were supposed to be vacationing in the Caribbean. Instead, they were buried in this south-central Kentucky town, five days after they were killed when Comair Flight 5191 crashed. More...

Louisville Courier-Journal, "Comair Accident: Suits filed in Comair crash"

          As the first lawsuits were filed yesterday by families of Comair Flight 5191 victims, aviation law experts said plaintiffs can expect to recover several million dollars each, depending on earnings and life expectancies of those who died. More...

Cincinnati Enquirer, "Aviation Accident News: First Comair suit filed"

          A lawsuit blaming Comair for a deadly crash at the Lexington airport was filed Friday, less than a week after the nation's deadliest airline disaster in five years. More...

Associated Press, "Air Crash Report: Family Sues Over Deadly Kentucky Comair Crash"

          The family of a woman killed when Comair Flight 5191 took off on the wrong runway and crashed in flames sued the airline Friday, blaming it for the nation's deadliest airplane disaster in five years. Learn more about the August 2006 Lexington, Kentucky Comair | Delta airplane crash and the legal rights of the victims and their families.

Associated Press, "Global Aviation Accident News: Iranian plane crash kills 29"

          A jetliner blew a tire, skidded off a runway and caught fire while landing in northeastern Iran today, killing up to 29 of the 147 passengers aboard, Iranian state TV reported. More...

USA Today, "Air Accident: Comair Flight 5191 jet crash spotlights controllers' shifts"

          Democratic lawmakers are demanding an investigation into the practice of allowing air-traffic controllers to work two shifts in 24 hours, a practice denounced by sleep experts. More...

USA Today, "Airplane Crash Report: Comair controller slept only 2 hours"

          Two congressmen called for an investigation into the staffing at airport control towers after investigators revealed that only one controller was on duty when Comair Flight 5191 crashed in Kentucky and that he had had just two hours of sleep between shifts. More...

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Aviation Accident Review: Cockpit warning system could have prevented crash"

          A cockpit warning system used by only a few commercial airlines might have prevented the deadly Comair jet crash last weekend if the plane had been equipped with the $18,000 piece of technology, a former top federal safety official says. More...

Associated Press, "Delta extends deadline for Comair to bid on regional contracts"

         Delta Air Lines Inc. has agreed to extend the deadline for its Comair subsidiary to bid on regional jet service as Comair continues to cope with the crash of Flight 5191 that killed 49 people, Comair's top executive said on Thursday. More...

Associated Press, "Kentucky | Comair Crash: Air controller slept only 2 hours; Man was on overnight shift after working early morning duty"

          In the day leading up to the crash of Comair Flight 5191, a federal investigator says the air traffic controller on duty had worked for almost 15 hours and slept for two. The controller had only nine hours off between work shifts Saturday. More about problems leading to the Comair Delta Kentucky crash.

Associated Press, "US Investigator:Controller Turned Away Before Comair Crash"

         The lone air traffic controller on duty the morning Comair Flight 5181 crashed cleared the jet for takeoff, then turned his back to do some "administrative duties" as the aircraft veered down the wrong runway, a federal investigator said Tuesday. More...

San Francisco Chronicle, "Comair Accident: NTSB: Tower Didn't Notice Deadly Mistake"

          The lone air traffic controller on duty the morning Comair Flight 5191 crashed cleared the jet for takeoff, then turned his back to do some "administrative duties" as the aircraft veered down the wrong runway, a federal investigator said Tuesday. Learn more...

CNN: "Comair: FAA: Tower staffing during plane crash violated rules"

          The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday acknowledged that only one controller was in the tower, in violation of FAA policy, when a Comair jet crashed Sunday while trying to take off from the wrong runway in Lexington, Kentucky. More...

WHIO-TV, "Kentucky Fatal Plane Crash May Prompt Delay By Delta"

          Delta Airlines has announced that because of the crash investigation in Lexington, Ky., it might ease up on Comair. Learn more...

Associated Press, "Kentucky Delta Comair Crash May Imperil Comair's Survival"

          The deadly Kentucky crash involving a Comair flight could make the regional carrier's survival even tougher. Learn more...

WMCTv.com, "Plane Crash Report: Runway Mistake Caused Fatal Comair Crash"

          NTSB investigators confirmed Sunday night that the crash of a Delta-Comair commuter flight from Lexington, Kentucky to Atlanta came after the jetliner took off on the wrong runway. 49 people died. More information...

WFMZTv.com, "Plane Crash News: Comair Pilot Took Wrong Runway in Plane Crash"

          The sole survivor of a commuter plane crash in Lexington, Kentucky is in critical condition this morning. Comair jet co-pilot James Polehinke was the only survivor pulled from the burning wreckage of a crash that killed 49 people yesterday. Learn more...

Bloomberg News, "Delta Air Regional Jet Crashes in Kentucky; 49 Dead"

          A Delta Air Lines Inc. Comair commuter plane crashed shortly after takeoff at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49 and critically injuring one. More...

Associated Press, "Plane Crash News: Newlyweds Among Comair Plane Crash Victims"

          A newlywed couple starting their honeymoon, a Habitat for Humanity board member and a businessman who took an early flight to get home to his children were among the victims of Comair Flight 5191, friends and relatives said Sunday. Learn more...

Free Internet Press, "49 Killed, 1 Survivor In Comair Kentucky Plane Crash"

          Forty-nine of the 50 people aboard Delta Flight 5191 were killed when the aircraft crashed Sunday morning shortly after takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, according to Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn. Learn more...

Reuters, "Kentucky plane crash kills 49, Comair co-pilot survives"

          A Comair jet crashed and burned in a Kentucky pasture on Sunday after a failed takeoff on a short runway, killing all but one of the 50 people aboard, authorities said. More...

Saipan Times, "7 Survive Plane Crash"

          A full seven-seater Piper Cherokee plane en route to Tinian crashed at 2:15am yesterday, a minute after taking off from the Saipan International Airport. More...

The Associated Press, "5 Die As Helicopter Crashes On Resort"

          A police helicopter crased onta a street in the Mediterranean city of Antalya on Wednesday, killing five policemen on board. More...

International Herald Tribune, "Russian Plane Crash: Pilots May Have Mishandled Airbrakes in Siberia Crash"

          Investigators are looking into whether the crew of an Airbus jet that went off a runway in Siberia on July 9 may have improperly used a braking system that was partly disabled before takeoff, people with knowledge of the inquiry say. More...

MSNBC, "Pakistan plane crashes, killing 45 passengers; Aircraft goes down in wheat field shortly after takeoff"

          A passenger plane slammed into a wheat field and burst into flames minutes after takeoff Monday in eastern Pakistan. All 45 people on board were killed, officials said. More...

New York Times, "At Least 122 Dead in Russian Plane Crash"

          Flight 778 touched down smoothly on a rain-slicked airport in Siberia on Sunday morning after an overnight flight from Moscow. Then, one young passenger recalled, something went seriously wrong. More...

RIA Novosti, "Black Sea crash plane was in good condition - aviation official"

          An Airbus passenger jet that crashed into the Black Sea Wednesday morning with the loss of everyone on board had been carefully maintained and was in good technical condition, Armenia's civil aviation expert said Wednesday. More...

Associated Press, "Plane Crashes in Russia With 113 Aboard"

          An Armenian passenger plane crashed in stormy weather early Wednesday off Russia's Black Sea coast as it was headed in for landing, killing all 113 people on board, emergency officials said. More...

Associated Press, "Family awarded $25.2 million for Deerfield Beach plane crash"

          The family of a pilot who was killed when two small planes collided has been awarded $25.2 million. The Broward County jury awarded the money Wednesday to Steve Ross' wife and four children. Ross, 46, a Boca Raton chaplain, was one of five people killed when the planes crashed in the water off Deerfield Beach on June 16, 2003. More...

Cyprus Mail, "Boeing faces US lawsuit over Helios crash"

          A team of lawyers representing 11 victims of last August’s Helios Airways plane disaster have announced that the families have filed a lawsuit against Boeing in the United States. More...

Chicago Sun-Times, "Boeing sued over deadly crash in Greece"

          A federal lawsuit was filed Tuesday against Chicago-based Boeing Co. on behalf of the estates of two people killed in a plane crash last year in Greece. More...