Pilot Hours Examined in Fatal Maryland Helicopter Crash
Aviation Attorney Gary C. Robb Suggests Pilot's Inexperience May Have Been a Contributing Factor
Kansas City, MO (PRWEB) July 30, 2009 -- The limited flight hours of the pilot are being considered as a possible cause of a catastrophic helicopter crash late last week in rural Maryland that killed four. The crash occurred as the pilot and four passengers were returning to Frederick after conducting charity tours to raise money for troubled youth. The helicopter was flying low at the time of the crash due to fog and rain. The helicopter hit a power line and burst into flames. The wreckage was severely burned in the aftermath of the crash.
A report of the crash in The Washington Post states that Gary C. Robb, a Kansas City wrongful death lawyer and helicopter crash expert, said he believed only pilots with at least 1,000 hours should be allowed to fly nonfamily members. In this case, the pilot flying the helicopter reportedly had only 630 hours of flight time. The flight had been delayed initially due to the weather, and the crash occurred fifteen minutes after take-off.
The Kansas City law firm of Robb & Robb, LLC has long been recognized as the leading helicopter crash law firm in the United States. In March of 2009, Forbes Magazine recognized aviation attorney Gary C. Robb as "by far the most successful helicopter crash lawyer in the country."
In 1995, Robb & Robb, LLC obtained the two highest jury verdicts in helicopter crash cases in the U.S., a $350 million jury verdict on behalf of a helicopter pilot who experienced an in-flight engine failure (Barnett v. La Societe Anonyme Turbomecca France, 963 S.W. 2d 939, Western District of Missouri Court of Appeals), and a $70 million jury verdict on behalf of a 20-year-old woman who was a passenger on board that same helicopter (Letz v. Turbomecca, 975 S. W. 2d 155, Western District Missouri Court of Appeals). The firm also has the highest settlement in any helicopter crash litigation, a $38 million cash settlement in 2007 involving a young woman who was severely burned when her tour helicopter crashed in the Grand Canyon (Daskal, et. al. v. Aerospetiale, Case No. A471961, Clark Co. Dist. Court, Las Vegas, Nevada).
About Robb & Robb
Robb & Robb, LLC was founded in 1984 by Kansas City attorneys Gary C. Robb and Anita Porte Robb. The firm has handled many precedent-setting, high-profile and complex cases in the fields of aviation law, hazardous product liability, personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability and trucking and transportation liability.
Robb & Robb, LLC has been recognized by national media and a number of professional organizations as the leading airplane attorneys in the United States. They have received both local Missouri and national media attention, including featured spots on the CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, NBC's Today Show, CBS This Morning, Larry King Live, CNN.com, AOL Online, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The National Law Journal, Lawyers Weekly USA, BNA Reporter, The Missouri Lawyers Weekly and The Kansas City Star.
For more information on Robb & Robb, LLC, please visit www.robbrobb.com.
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