Air Force Trainer Plane Crashes Near Rolling Oaks Mall
A trainer plane flying out of Randolph Air Force Base crashed near Rolling Oaks Mall in northeast San Antonio on Wednesday, September 19, due to what was referred to as ‘engine failure at low altitude.’ The crash injured two crew members, though both were treated and released from a clinic on the base. The plane came down in a field on Circle Dot Ranch, causing no other damage or injury, but mere feet either way could have made the accident much worse. Airplane crashes are surprisingly common in Texas, and they can cause severe injury.
Statistics and Causes Vary
While many think that plane crashes are isolated events, private plane ownership has made them more common, especially in states like Texas with a lot of space and open air. Recent statistics show over 12,000 private planes owned in the United States; one can imagine that a significant portion of them are housed in Texas. Between private jets, the state’s many busy commercial airports, and the six Air Force bases, planes are popular and common. Mere numbers do not cause crashes, however; there are multiple possible causes of aviation accidents, and the causes of some incidents may never be discovered.
Most of the causes of aviation crashes can be put down to pilot error, especially in private planes, with common reasons being lack of experience, flying through rough weather or cloud cover, and many others that could (at least in theory) be avoided. However, some accidents do simply occur due to bad luck. It is not uncommon, for example, for a pilot to experience some kind of mechanical failure and stall while attempting to land – in such a situation, often there will be very little a pilot can do.
Aviation Law Is Highly Complex
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind in dealing with an aviation accident is that even in a private plane with acquaintances or friends, there are several intricate laws that must be observed. Every commercial flight, and most private charter companies, have very strict safety standards that must be obeyed on every single flight – if there is any insinuation that safety was somehow not the highest priority, you may have a cause of action for negligence, but simply crashing is not a good enough reason to bring suit in itself.
It is also a good idea to keep in mind that not every aviation accident injures people in the plane. It is not uncommon that debris from a passing plane might strike a person or vehicle on the ground. While this is a somewhat more straightforward type of accident to deal with, there are still issues that might appear, most notably the question of foreseeability. Foreseeability is a legal concept that holds that an injury must be foreseeable (that is, a reasonable person would be able to conceive of it happening in a particular way) in order for a plaintiff to be compensated for it. If debris drops from a falling plane, it may or may not be foreseeable depending on the specific situation.
Seek Experienced Legal Help Today
Aviation accidents have the potential to be extremely dangerous and deadly and to navigate the process of seeking compensation for them, you need an experienced attorney who will fight for you. The experienced New Braunfels air accident lawyers at the Bettersworth Law Firm will work hard for you and ensure that you are kept in the loop every step of the way. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
https://www.ksat.com/news/air-force-engine-failure-led-to-trainer-plane-crashing-near-rolling-oaks-mall
http://www.txcourts.gov/media/1437045/150197c.pdf
