Aviation Accident Attorneys
Aviation Law Group PS is a leading law firm representing persons on the West Coast and throughout the United States, in aircraft accidents and other aviation-related cases involving serious injury and wrongful death. ALG has expanded its domestic practice nationally to include the West Coast and East Coast, with offices in Seattle, Washington, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Jupiter, Florida. With more than 35 years of experience practicing law and more than 45 years in aviation, ALG is proud of our highly credentialed attorneys, who are all also certified commercial pilots and two are certified mechanics. ALG has a long history of excellent legal work and results on behalf of hundreds of clients in the highly technical and complex area of aviation litigation. ALG attorneys are licensed to practice law throughout the United States, including Alaska, Washington, Hawaii, California, and Florida. We routinely handle cases throughout the U.S., and with local counsel we can bring our aviation experience to cases in all 50 States, Canada, and Internationally.
Bob Hedrick
Attorney 30+ years
Commercial Pilot
A&P Aviation Mechanic
20+ Years Professor of Aviation Accident Law
Casey DuBose
Attorney 10+ years
Commercial Pilot
Flight Instructor
Fluent Mandarin Chinese
Professor of Aviation and Space Law
Kerry Kovarik
Attorney 16+ years
Commercial Pilot
Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Former FAA Authorized Inspector
Chris Rusing
Attorney 20+ years
Airline Pilot & Instructor
Airbus 320 Series Captain
WHAT WE DO
Aviation Accident Law
General Aviation Accidents
General aviation involves private and recreational flight activity. It includes non-airline flights such as scenic flights, flight training, private flights, recreational flights, helicopter flights and operations, seaplanes, flying clubs, business flights, gliders, and a lot of other aerial activity. All of Aviation Law Group attorneys have extensive experience in many aspects of general aviation, from flying and instructing, to operations and aircraft maintenance. Since 1988, our lawyers have handled accidents involving nearly all aspects of general aviation activity for airplanes, helicopters, and fixed base operators.
Helicopter Accidents
Helicopter accidents often involve issues of external load operations such as longline or external load (link to external load), heli-lifting, heli-logging, and fire-fighting support.
Major Airline Accidents
ALG attorneys have represented numerous families who lost loved ones in major airline disasters, such as the January 31, 2000, Alaska Flight 261 accident near Point Hueneme, California, and the February 25, 2009, Turkish Airline Flight TK 1951 accident in Amsterdam. We have extensive experience with international airline liability law, including the Montreal Convention and its predecessor the Warsaw Convention, where issues of liability, jurisdiction, applicable law, and recoverable damages are complex. ALG attorneys have given many talks and written numerous articles in this specialized field of law. Mr. Hedrick also teaches the Montreal Convention as part of his Aviation Accident Law course at Seattle University School of Law.
International Coverage and Regional Expertise
Washington
Unfortunately, aircraft accidents occur nearly weekly throughout Washington. In addition, many aircraft accidents outside of Washington involve Washington manufacturers or operators.
Alaska
Because of the extent of aviation activity throughout the 49th and largest state in the U.S., Robert Hedrick obtained his attorney license in Alaska nearly 20 years ago in 2002 and is an active member of the Alaska Bar Association.
Hawaii
Aviation activity is unique in the Hawaiian archipelago because of its location and geographical topography.
Recent Aviation Law News
HA35 Pilots Knew Of Serious Bad Weather And Turbulence Before Recklessly Flying Into It And Not Around It | NTSB Final Report Confirms ALG’s Investigation
The NTSB’s statement that the flight crew should have “gone around” the storm cell confirms a central aspect of our allegations: this was an avoidable accident. Had the pilots taken the safer route, the severe turbulence encounter might never have occurred. Had more forceful, timely warnings been issued, fewer passengers would have been injured. These failures constitute negligence, and they are precisely why we continue to fight on behalf of the injured passengers.
ALG Attorneys Investigating Tragic Beech Baron Accident in Crystal River Florida
Preliminary findings from the initial investigation raise concerns about the aircraft’s left engine and the significant difficulties Mr. Holloway faced prior to the accident.
Test Flight Tragedy – Fatal Aircraft Crash in Fairview, Oregon
One of the most dangerous times to operate an aircraft is after a period of extended maintenance. This is why the FAA has specific regulations (CFR 91.407) that govern those flights to limit the risk to pilots, passengers, and other innocent bystanders.
Aviation Law Group Encourages The NTSB And The FAA To Re-Open Their Investigation Of Robinson Helicopter Main Rotor Control Loss Following Two Recent Tailboom Separation Accidents In Washington State and in Hawaii
A Robinson helicopter accident on June 29, 1992, involving the inflight break-up of the helicopter prompted the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to launch a special investigation into Robinson R22 and R44 helicopter main rotor control accidents. The Federal...
Steamboat Springs C-421 Accident UPDATE: Pilot Reported Engine Issues Before Accident
By Robert Hedrick and Kerry Kovarik As we predicted shortly after this accident, the NTSB preliminary report supports our suspicion that an engine issue was in fact involved in this accident. The planned flight route for the Cessna 421, N245T, a light twin-engine...
ALG Monitoring Piper Warrior II July 10, 2024 Flight Instruction Accident At The North Palm Beach County Airport, Florida
On July 10, 2024, at approximately 14:15 EDT, a Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II in visual flight conditions with two people on board, crashed into a lake north of runway 27L while performing a “touch-and-go” at North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport (F45) in West...
Here We Go Again: Another Fatal R-44 Crash In Kauai Less Than One Month After An R-44 Tail Boom Came Off In Flight In Washington State Killing Two
We are shocked but not surprised to hear of yet another deadly Robinson R-44 crash, N144KW, this time just off the North Coast of Kauai on July 11, 2024. Our hearts go out to the families of the two passengers and pilot who were on the sight-seeing flight operated by...
ALG Attorneys Seriously Concerned About Crash of Robinson R-44 In Washington After Tail Boom Apparently Comes Off In Cruise Flight
Another tragic Robinson R-44 accident has struck Washington. This one occurred at approximately 4:20 p.m. on June 19, 2024, near Bluestem, Washington. The pilot was a very experienced retired commercial pilot and flight instructor. The passenger was a rated airplane...
Witnesses To Alaska Super Cub Seaplane Accident On Crescent Lake May Be Critical To Determining Cause
On June 18, 2024 a Piper PA-18 Super Cub (FAA Registration Number N645DT) crashed into Crescent Lake, located approximately 80 miles south of Anchorage on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. The aircraft sunk in deep water. The flight instructor and student rated pilot did not...
Steamboat Springs C-421 Accident Has Signatures Of Aircraft/Engine Issues
On Tuesday, June 17, 2024, at approximately 4:23 p.m., a U.S. registered aircraft N245T, a twin-engine Cessna 421C, crashed near Steamboat Springs/Bob Adams Field (SBS) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The aircraft struck the ground in a southerly direction just...
Mourning the loss of a Northwest Space and Aviation Pioneer – William Anders
The world mourns the loss of Maj. Gen. William A. Anders, a legendary figure in the realms of space exploration and aviation in the Pacific Northwest, who tragically passed away on Friday morning at the age of 90 when the aircraft he was piloting crashed in the waters...
NTSB Preliminary Report On the March 30, 2024, Truckee, California TBM 700 Accident Raises Eyebrows at Aviation Law Group
We earlier reported about this accident with limited information including weather and some flight path data. The accident, which occurred on March 30, 2024, involved a privately owned TBM 700, N960LP, which took the lives of a married couple who were the only...
Singapore Airlines Flight 321: ALG Lawyers Concerned About Yet Another Severe Turbulence Accident
The team at Aviation Law Group is learning more about the Singapore Airlines (Flight SQ321) that hit severe turbulence on Tuesday, May 18, 2024, while in cruise flight over the Andaman Sea. This turbulence incident was extreme, and the injuries were astonishing...
TBM Accident In Truckee Has Unanswered Questions
At first view, an aircraft accident in bad weather might suggest pilot error. Not to the attorneys at Aviation Law Group. When an aircraft accident involves a qualified and experienced pilot flying a new aircraft in weather conditions sufficient for safe flight, we...
All Eyes on Boeing’s Ongoing Safety Saga
As the aviation industry grapples with Boeing's recent safety crises and leadership upheavals, the legal ramifications for the company and potential avenues for affected parties become increasingly significant. Recent reports by the FAA, industry experts, and the...
Representative Cases
Airplane Mis-fueling Accident
A lineman working for local aircraft fueling operation pumped Jet-A aircraft fuel into the tanks of a reciprocating single-engine airplane, which required 100 octane low lead fuel.
Defective Carburetor Accident
In February 2013, following a 3-week trial, a Washington jury returned a verdict for $8.9 million in favor of our client against an aircraft engine manufacturer.
Regional Fly-In Accident
After a 3-week jury trial, Robert Hedrick obtained a $10.5 million verdict against a regional fly-in host and its national counterpart. The case involved failure to arrange for adequate fire and emergency response at the event, which caused a pilot to die needlessly.
Aircraft Design Defect
Last year, after a two-week trial, a 12-person jury returned a verdict in favor of the clients of Aviation Law Group, finding that an aircraft’s flight control system was defectively designed, which caused the deaths of a pilot and his passenger.
Firm Contact Information
If you or a loved one has been the victim of an aviation-related accident, please reach out to us. We are always willing to provide a free initial evaluation and meeting.