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Insurance coverage for airplane accidents can vary widely. First, liability insurance is just one part of an aircraft policy. The other parts insure the value of the aircraft for damage and perhaps medical expenses. Liability insurance is triggered when the insured policy holder could be legally responsible for an injury or death caused by a…

On May 2, 2020 there was a fatal airplane accident near Zelmer Memorial Airport in Illinois. The FAA is investigating the crash of a single engine two-seat 1996 Yakoviev Yak-52 airplane that killed the pilot. The accident airplane was a 1987 Russian-built Yakovlev Yak-52, a single-engine, low-wing, two-place tandem cockpit airplane. The Yak-52 was designed…

Among the many things COVID-19 has changed is the civil justice system. With no in-person hearings or jury trials during the pandemic, the courts in Arizona are backed up with delayed and postponed cases. Courthouses, judges and attorneys are doing everything they can, however, to continue resolving personal injury cases remotely during this time. Limited…

An aircraft in distress has the right-of-way over all other air traffic. When aircraft of the same category are converging at approximately the same altitude (except head-on, or nearly so), the aircraft to the other’s right has the right-of-way. If the aircraft are of different categories: A balloon has the right-of-way over any other category…

The acronym ARROW helps pilots remember the paperwork to be kept in a plane at all times: Airworthiness Certificate – this is the airworthiness certificate provided after the aircraft is inspected by an FAA-approved vendor. This document ensures the safety and condition of the plane before it takes-off; Registration Certificate – this is the registration…

Gallagher & Kennedy, one of Arizona’s premier law firms, is comprised of attorneys whose talents and expertise have consistently ranked them among the finest in the country. Not surprisingly, several of these attorneys first proved their prowess, stamina, and avidity to win as NCAA athletes.

How much baggage weighs is very important in pre-flight planning, but so is proper loading. Improper loading can severely impede an airplane’s performance and maneuverability. The load must also be secure. If the load moves to the aft of the plane, the center of gravity moves aft as well. This will decrease the stability of…

Pilots must heed warnings signals to avoid tragedy. For example: Is the pilot under pressure unduly influencing his deceive to fly? Will the pilot have to stretch the fuel reserves to the limit? Does the pilot have a plan B? Does the pilot and respect the limits of his or her own skills and experience?

Mid-air collisions are rare, but deadly. Pilots are responsible to “see and avoid” other aircraft. This isn’t just a slogan, it is the law. FAR 91.113(b) states: “When weather conditions permit, regardless of whether an operation is conducted under instrument flight rules or visual flight rules, vigilance shall be maintained by each person operating an…

In May 2019, the crew of a chartered Cessna Citation 550—being operated as an air ambulance flight—experienced a total power loss that began just over an hour into the flight. With a tremendous amount of skill, and with nurses and patients on board, the pilots performed a successful no-engine landing. The failure was later traced…

Weather is a cause or contributing factor to a number of plane and helicopter crashes. Weather is constantly in flux and even though pilots may focus on pre-flight planning including weather, they must monitor weather forecasts during the flight and make changes when and if necessary. General aviation pilots should always plan an alternative course…

Since 1994, Arizona’s Notice of Claim Statute, codified as A.R.S. § 12-821.01, has protected the State of Arizona from persons attempting to use it.  The Notice of Claim Statute applies to every conceivable claim a person may bring against the State of Arizona.  The protections found in the Notice of Claim Statute also extend to…

As part of a preflight preparation, general aviation pilots on cross-country flights may want to avoid high-traffic areas near busy airports. The pilot should also check the status of military airspace, alert areas, and look for notices to airmen outlining potential hazards such as unmanned aircraft operations. Careful flight planning can help ensure safe operations…

Arizona Attorney magazine recognized the $5,000,000 Johe verdict as one of the top 10 civil verdicts in 2019. The trial was in May, 2019 in Tucson, Arizona, where Bob and Jeff represented the mother of a 20-year-old man that died while detoxing at Sierra Tucson, a drug rehab facility . Sierra Tucson denied fault for…