Asiana Airlines Flight 214 & Alaska Plane Crashes Send Investigators Searching for Answers

The search for answers continue, as the passengers that survived Asiana Airlines Flight 214 when the airplane crashed in Northern California on Saturday go on with their efforts to recover from the physical and/or emotional injuries that they sustained. Two teens were killed and over 180 were injured when the Boeing 777 crash landed on the runway at San Francisco International Airport. An investigation also is underway to determine whether one of the teenagers died not from her plane accident wounds but from being struck by a rescue vehicle.

At Altman & Altman, LLP, our Boston injury lawyers represent victims of plane accidents involving large commercial fights and private aircrafts. We know the devastation that an airplane crash can wreak on the lives of victims and their loved ones, and we are committed to helping our clients recover all that they are owed.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman noted that passengers were at first told not to evacuate the plane until 90 seconds after the crash when a flight attendant saw there was a fire. The flight attendants on Flight 214 are being called heroes for their efforts to get everyone off the aircraft. Six of them are still in hospital.

Hersman said that one of the pilots reported being temporarily blinded by a flash of light as the plane approached for landing. The pilot in charge of the aircraft said that he failed to identify that the craft had slowed down a lot, even as he depended on the throttle control to keep the plane at the right speed. Hersman said the decelerated speed was one cause of the Asiana plane crash.

Another aviation incident that has also been in the headlines is the Alaska plane accident that killed all 10 people on board. The de Havilland DHC3 Otter appears to have crashed back down at the airport in Soldotna shortly after take off on Sunday. Two families and pilot Walter Rediske were killed. Unfortunately, there is no flight-data box or video of the plane crashing, so investigators won’t have these pieces of evidence to look to for answers.

Common Causes of Plane Accidents:
• Pilot error • Plane malfunction • In-flight instrument failure • Defective plane part design • Poor weather conditions • Air traffic control errors • Fueling mismanagement • In-flight icing
Asiana Airlines Flight 214 pilots delayed evacuation after San Francisco crash, NTSB says, Chicago Tribune, July 11, 2013

Team investigating Alaska plane crash struggles with few leads, Reuters, July 10, 2013

National Transportation Safety Board

More Blog Posts:
Family of Teen Who Fell from US Airways Jet in a Boston Suburb Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against US Airways, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, November 7, 2012
Two Plymouth Teens Injured in Texting and Driving Crash, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, July 10, 2013

Medford Postal Worker’s Collapse Reminds Outdoor Workers Dangers of Heat Exhaustion, Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Blog, July 8, 2013
Contact our Massachusetts aviation accident law firm today.

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