Oklahoma Helicopter Accidents
Oklahoma helicopter accident and aviation attorneys of the Hershewe Law Firm, P.C., offer qualified legal help for the complex issues of helicopter accident lawsuit investigations.
Helicopters are amazing machines, incredibly complicated to design, build, maintain and fly. How they fly makes them versatile aircraft, perfectly suited to roles ranging from military use to fire fighting and search and rescue. It also makes them challenging to fly, and, as helicopter accident investigators and aviation attorneys know too well, vulnerable to accidents.
A normal airplane can fly forward, up, down, left and right. A helicopter can fly in all those directions, but it can also fly backwards, rotate 360 degrees on the spot and hover, that is, stay airborne with no directional movement at all. Although the speed of a helicopter is limited, incredible maneuverability makes them very useful.
Helicopters require a completely different method of control than airplanes and are much harder to master. Flying a helicopter requires constant concentration by the pilot, and a near-continuous flow of control corrections. Each separate control of a helicopter is easy to understand and operate; the difficulty comes in using all controls together. Moving one control drastically impacts the other controls, and so they too have to be moved to compensate. This continuous correction of all controls together is what makes flying a helicopter an intense, and dangerous, experience.
The Hershewe Law Firm cites eleven helicopter incidents or accidents in Oklahoma between 2000-2009, mostly caused by pilot error in response to flight conditions and causing minor or no injuries. There was one fatal crash: two of five passengers died and the remainder were seriously injured.
Our helicopter accident attorneys follow the causes of helicopter accidents found by the National Transportation Safety Board. Oklahoma helicopter accidents caused by pilot error in the last several years include typical pilot failures to:
- maintain proper airspeed and descent rate during approach
- maintain clearance with ground obstacles
- maintain control of the helicopter
- properly plan the flight
There are also accidents caused by the poor judgment of the pilot or inadequate training. In some cases, however, the pilot is not at fault. Mechanical malfunctions and adverse weather are particular threats to safe helicopter operation.
The Hershewe Law Firm has applied federal and Oklahoma law to helicopter accidents that resulted in everything from hard landings to rollovers to horrific crashes. If you are a helicopter pilot, we urge you to employ a good Oklahoma helicopter aviation law firm to help you follow regulations, assist you in obtaining adequate insurance coverage and protect you in case of litigation. If you are a passenger injured in a rare Oklahoma helicopter crash, The Hershewe Law Firm, P.C., will investigate the accident, negotiate a settlement or bring a lawsuit on your behalf.
Please call us toll-free at 877-382-9734, or complete our web form.
