Every year, more than a thousand airplanes crash across the United States, resulting in hundreds of deaths. While some of these accidents are the result of unavoidable problems, a shocking number of these accidents could be prevented if adequate safety measures were put into place. Here are some of the most common issues cited in airplane accidents:

  1. Inexperienced or untrained pilots
    • One of the most common causes of airplane accidents is pilot error, which is generally the result of poorly trained or inexperienced pilots. Flying any plane is a difficult process under the best of conditions, and any mishap can potentially lead to a crash. The better trained and more experienced a pilot is, the more likely they are to be able to deal with any problems safely and avoid a potential accident.
  2. Lack of adequate maintenance
    • All the training and experience in the world may not matter, however, if your plane breaks down in the middle of a flight. Mechanical failures are cited as a contributing factor in at least 20% of all airplane accidents, and many of these accidents could be avoided with appropriate maintenance. When plane owners and airlines fail to keep their planes adequately maintained, it substantially increases the risk of a crash.
  3. Flying in inclement weather
    • Most pilots do not like to fly when the weather is bad, and for good reason. Rain, snow, and fog can all impair visibility and make it harder to navigate, while high winds can blow a plane off course or damage it mid-flight. When pilots choose to fly during inclement weather, they make it much more likely they will get into an accident.
  4. Air traffic control errors
    • Air traffic controllers are essential to navigating the complex web of inbound and outbound flights that are a normal part of any airport. Pilots rely on the directions of those air traffic controllers to ensure they do not accidentally collide with other planes, but unfortunately they do sometimes make mistakes. As a result, there are a number of airplane accidents that happen every year because an air traffic controller made a serious error.
  5. Fatigue or exhaustion
    • Finally, there is the simple issue of fatigue and exhaustion. Flying a plane can be extremely taxing, especially for professional pilots who may fly eight to ten hours a day. Unfortunately, the longer a pilot flies, the more likely they are to make significant mistakes or fail to appropriately address a problem that arises. This can dramatically increase the risk of airplane accidents, especially if pilots do not take adequate time to rest between flights.

If you have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you should contact the Tennessee personal injury lawyers at the Keith Williams Law Group. With convenient offices located in Nashville and Lebanon, our lawyers will work with you to create a litigation strategy that protects your legal rights and serves your personal needs. For more information or a free consultation, please contact us at 615-444-2900 or visit our contact page.