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Asiana Airlines SFO Boeing 777 Plane Crash Lawsuit

On July 6, 2013, at approximately 11:30 a.m., there was a plane crash involving Asiana Airlines Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport. The Boeing 777 narrowly avoided landing in San Francisco Bay, but struck a sea wall before skidding on the runway and bursting into flames. The disaster killed two 16 year-old students, critically injured at least 40 people, and injured more than 180. Remarkably, 123 passengers escaped unharmed.

What You Can Do & How an Airplane Accident & Personal Injury Lawsuit Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Asiana Airlines Flight 214 induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by the Boeing 777 airplane accident at San Francisco International Airport, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Personal Injury Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

UPDATE: Asiana May Try to Block SFO Plane Crash Lawsuits

July 11, 2013 — Asiana Airlines may try to block non-Americans from filing lawsuits under the Montreal Convention. Of the 307 passengers on the plane, only 61 were American. Click here to read more.

July 10, 2013 — Doctors have reported treating dozens of people with paralysis, spinal injuries, and fractures that are consistent with severe whiplash and violent shaking. These victims are at risk of long-term complications, permanent injuries, and years of recovery. Click here to read more.

What Happened?

The National Transportation Safety Board, news sources, passengers, eye-witness accounts, and first responders have all confirmed essentially the same scenario. About 7 seconds before Asiana Airlines Flight 214 landed on runway 28L, the flight crew realized that the plane was approaching the runway too slowly and they were in danger of stalling the aircraft. About 1.5 seconds before impact, the pilot tried to abort the landing for a “go-around” and pointed the nose of the plane upward.

Unfortunately, it was too late. The tail of the plane hit a rocky sea wall, which destroyed the landing gear and caused the tail to detach. The plane bounced on the runway, lifted one wing into the air, and skidded on the runway before bursting into flames.

Many of the passengers escaped through emergency slides or by jumping through holes in the plane. Emergency crews raced to the scene and freed passengers who were trapped inside. One body was found near the sea wall, apparently ejected when the plane hit the ground. The other body was found near the wreckage of the plane, and fire officials said she had “injuries that were consistent with having been run over by a vehicle.”

The cause of the disaster is still under investigation, and it is unclear whether mechanical failures, pilot error, problems at SFO, or other factors may have contributed to the disaster. Asiana Airlines has reported that the co-pilot who was flying the plane had only 43 hours of experience on the Boeing 777. Even so, there were three other pilots on board, and he had nearly 10,000 hours flying other types of aircraft.

The landing may have been complicated because the instrument landing system at SFO has been temporarily out of service since June, which means pilots must land with a visual approach. Pilots are trained to land without instrument guidance. It is unclear why the pilots did not realize they were approaching the runway at an unsafe trajectory. Instruments in the cockpit should have warned the crew that their approach was too short.

Plane Crash Lawsuits and Liability

The Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash at SFO will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a federal agency that investigates airplane accidents in the U.S. If they determine that negligence was a factor in this disaster, victims may be eligible for compensation if they file a personal injury lawsuit.

Causes of airplane accidents:

  • Pilot error, negligence, or incapacitation
  • Mechanical failure
  • Weather
  • Defective design
  • Failure to maintain, repair, inspect the aircraft
  • Air-traffic control errors
  • Explosive device or sabotage
  • Bird strike
  • Fuel problems
  • And more

Do I have an Airplane Accident & Personal Injury Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Asiana Airlines Flight 214 induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by the Boeing 777 airplane accident at San Francisco International Airport, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Personal Injury Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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