Design Defects

Aviation Product Liability Lawyers, California and Nationwide

A pilot can do everything right. The aircraft can be manufactured strictly according to manufacturer specifications. However, if there are defects in the design of the aircraft, it may be doomed - along with everyone aboard.

Griffith Park Bell Helicopter Crash: After a car crash in Los Angeles caused a child to suffer serious injuries, she was air-lifted to Children's Hospital. Mid-flight, the tail rotor yoke (which attaches the tail to the aircraft) failed. The aircraft broke in two and crashed into Griffith Park below - killing the child, two rescue firefighters and the helicopter apparatus operator.

The Bell Model 205A-1 helicopter involved in the Griffith Park accident is known for crashes in which the tail rotor yoke failed. Moreover, Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. failed to report several military accidents to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that resulted due to failure of the tail rotor yoke.

The aviation accident attorneys of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C. alleged and proved during the subsequent trial, that the tail rotor yoke suffered a fatigued failure due to a design defect in the aircraft. It was determined that a significant gust of wind could cause the tail rotor to bend excessively, even when sitting on the tarmac. Although this problem could easily be fixed, the design of the aircraft lacked any method or system to detect the problem. We alleged and proved that these design defects were the cause of the fatal Griffith Park Bell Helicopter Crash - and successfully resolved the case during trial.

Other Aviation Accidents Caused by Design Defects

In over 20 years of experience handling airplane crashes and other aviation accidents, our firm has handled some of the largest air disasters that have resulted from defective designs:

• American Airlines Flight 587 Crash: Flight 587 took off from JFK International Airport on November 12, 2001. Shortly after takeoff, the plane crashed into a neighborhood in Belle Harbor, New York, killing all aboard and five people on the ground. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the crash was pilot error and design defects. Due to excessive operation of the rudder flaps by the first officer, the vertical stabilizer separated and broke away from the plane.
• China Eastern Airlines Flight 583: While in flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles, on April 6, 1993, inadvertent slat deployment caused the plane to violently pitch downward. Evidence suggested that the slats were deployed as a result of a crew member accidentally bumping the defectively designed handle. As a result, two people were killed and another 160 injured. After the accident, Douglas Aircraft Company said it would work with the FAA to redesign the MD-11 flap/slat actuating system to cure this defect. However, for the passengers killed in Flight 583, that decision came too late.

For immediate assistance, or to schedule an initial consultation or case evaluation with an experienced aviation or plane crash lawyer, please contact Baum Hedlund, P.C.

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