Over the weekend a small plane crashed in San Diego County, killing a family of three. According to Cal Fire officials, the pilot of the plane was a 65-year-old man. His wife and his 19-year-old daughter were passengers on the small aircraft. The family had just left San Diego to head back home to Phoenix when the accident happened.
Like many aviation accidents, it will take time to investigate the small plane crash in order to determine what happened and what may have caused the plane to go down. The victims’ family members probably have many questions about what happened to their loved ones. After the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are finished with their investigations, the victims’ families with hopefully get some answers.
One thing many families wish they could know right away after a serious or fatal plane crash is whether the accident could have been prevented in any way. There are many factors that may contribute to causing a plane crash. It is important that all of these factors are taken into consideration when conducting investigations of crashes so that families know whether they have a right to pursue a personal injury or wrongful death claim after a crash. For these reasons, many families choose to work with an attorney who will make sure all possible causes are investigated and identified.
Pilot errors do lead to many plane accidents. But there are many other causes of plane accidents, including maintenance negligence, manufacturer defects, design defects, and runway incursions. No one knows what caused the recent crash in Southern California, yet. But if the plane was not properly maintained by a third party or if the plane was not designed safely, the victims’ family might consider pursuing an airplane accident claim in order to recover some damages for their loss.
The fatal accident happened on Saturday around 10:15 a.m. Some witnesses said they saw the plane spinning uncontrollably before it crashed.
Source: NBC Southern California, “Family killed in Lakeside plane crash ID’d,” Monica Garske, Dec. 30, 2012
