Commercial Airline Accidents: Legal Claims Explained

When Major Airlines Fall Short on Safety, We Hold Them Accountable

Flying feels automatic now, just another Tuesday commute in the sky. You board, sit down, and trust that the professionals up front and the teams behind them did everything right. 

But when something goes wrong on a commercial flight, the illusion of safety shatters. Screams replace announcements. Calm turns to chaos. And afterward, you’re left wondering how something so routine could collapse so fast.

Our personal injury attorneys at Horn Wright, LLP, represent victims of commercial airline accidents across New York and in New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Each state carries its own set of aviation laws, timelines, and procedures. We know them well because airline negligence doesn’t stop at one state line and neither do we. 

Whether your case involves a hard landing, in-flight injury, or catastrophic crash, our goal is the same: to uncover what failed, who caused it, and how to get you the full compensation you deserve.

If you’re dealing with an airline injury or loss, contact our team at (855) 465-4622. You’ll get straightforward answers, empathy, and a plan that moves—not corporate excuses.

The Complex Nature of Airline Negligence

Commercial airline accidents aren’t always about engine failures or headline-grabbing crashes. Sometimes, they start with something as small as a skipped maintenance step or a fatigued crew member missing a checklist item. Airline negligence can unfold in layers—one bad decision built on another.

Large carriers operate under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) oversight. But regulation doesn’t equal perfection. When airlines push schedules, cut training time, or delay repairs to save costs, they put passengers at risk. 

In New York, the law under Civil Practice Law & Rules Section 214(5) gives you three years to pursue personal injury claims stemming from negligence, and Estates, Powers, and Trusts Law Article 5-4.1 provides two years for wrongful death.

These timeframes matter, but evidence matters more. Airline lawyers move quickly after an incident, often before victims even leave the hospital. That’s why your response can’t wait.

What Causes Commercial Airline Accidents

Commercial aviation is built on layers of protection—engineering, procedure, and human precision. When one fails, the rest are supposed to catch it. But when multiple defenses break at once, passengers pay the price.

• Pilot error. Even experienced flight crews make mistakes under fatigue, stress, or automation overload. Poor communication between captain and first officer can snowball in seconds. Flight data and cockpit recordings show exactly where things unraveled.
• Maintenance and inspection failures. Airlines juggle fleets with thousands of moving parts. When a single inspection is skipped or logged incorrectly, it can trigger chain reactions that end midair. We trace those records until the truth surfaces.
• Defective aircraft parts. From faulty sensors to flawed engines, manufacturer negligence can hide behind complex contracts. Product liability laws let you hold those companies responsible too.
• Weather and decision-making errors. Flying through storms, ice, or turbulence isn’t always unavoidable—but poor judgment or ignored warnings can make them deadly. Weather radar and flight dispatch logs prove whether safer choices were available.

Every accident tells a story. Our job is to find it before it’s buried.

The Injuries You Can Claim Compensation For

The injuries from a commercial airline incident can stretch far beyond what’s visible. You might walk away thinking you’re fine, only to discover weeks later that your body and your mind took more damage than you realized.

• Physical trauma. Broken bones, internal bleeding, burns, and spinal injuries are common when aircraft experience severe turbulence or hard impacts. We document these with specialists to support your claim for full medical and rehabilitative costs.
• Psychological harm. Survivors of in-flight emergencies or crashes often face anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, or panic disorders. Mental health damages are real and compensable under New York law.
• Loss of income and long-term disability. If your injuries keep you from working or limit your ability to return to your field, your claim should include future lost earnings—not just what’s already gone.
• Wrongful death losses. Families can recover funeral expenses, lost financial support, and emotional suffering under EPTL § 5-4.1 or similar statutes in neighboring states.

Compensation is about rebuilding what negligence tore apart.

How Liability Works in Commercial Airline Cases

Airline negligence is rarely simple. A single crash or in-flight injury might involve several responsible parties. Identifying them all is key to maximizing your recovery.

• The airline itself. Airlines are responsible for the actions of their pilots, crew, and maintenance teams. If they ignored safety regulations or failed to train employees properly, that’s corporate negligence.
• Aircraft and component manufacturers. When defective equipment contributes to an accident, those companies can be sued under product liability law. Think Boeing or Pratt & Whitney—large names that answer to data, not emotion.
• Airport authorities. Poor runway maintenance, faulty lighting, or unsafe ground operations can create additional liability.
• Contracted service providers. Many “airline” tasks, from fueling to cleaning, are outsourced. Those companies can share responsibility if their work contributed to the event.

We investigate every connection, every contract, every policy. No one who played a role gets a free pass.

The Legal Process and What to Expect

Commercial aviation claims are complex because they involve both federal regulations and state negligence laws. The NTSB handles safety investigations, but their reports can’t always be used directly in court. We work around that by gathering our own expert analyses while staying in step with official findings.

In New York, you typically have three years from the date of the accident to file your personal injury claim (CPLR Section 214(5)). In New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, those limits vary slightly, but our team tracks each deadline meticulously. Missing even one can kill an otherwise strong case.

From start to finish, you’ll have updates in plain language—not legal noise. You’ll know who’s handling your case, what’s next, and what we’re doing to move the process forward. Transparency is part of the trust we build.

What Compensation Can Include

You’ve already paid enough in pain, lost time, and uncertainty. Compensation is about balancing the scales—and in commercial aviation, that balance can run high.

• Medical bills and lifetime care. From emergency response to long-term rehabilitation, we calculate the real numbers, not estimates.
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity. If your injuries affect your career path or future income, those losses deserve full value.
• Pain, suffering, and emotional distress. Trauma lingers. Anxiety, depression, and disrupted sleep all count as compensable damages.
• Loss of companionship and support. When a loved one is lost or permanently disabled, your family’s emotional and financial stability is part of the claim.

We work with medical and financial experts to turn these impacts into provable figures. The stronger the documentation, the higher the potential recovery.

Why Multi-State and Federal Experience Matter

Commercial flights don’t care about borders and neither can your legal team. Your flight might have departed from New York, crossed into Vermont airspace, and crashed over New Hampshire. Each jurisdiction has a voice in the process.

Federal oversight through the FAA and NTSB adds another layer. Understanding both systems—how they overlap, when they conflict, and how to use their findings effectively—can mean the difference between a minimal settlement and full compensation.

Our aviation and airplane accident attorneys at Horn Wright, LLP, have handled claims that stretch across multiple states and regulatory systems. That experience lets us move faster, anticipate obstacles, and make sure no procedural trap costs you your recovery.

Rebuilding After an Airline Accident

A commercial airline accident changes more than your travel plans. It changes your life. The fear, the loss, the frustration—it’s all valid.

We stand with passengers and families across New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. We push airlines, insurers, and manufacturers to take full responsibility for the damage they caused. 

If you’re ready to take back your story, contact our office for a free case review. We’ll help you navigate the process, protect your rights, and fight for every ounce of compensation the law allows.

Because when a major airline fails to keep its promise of safety, you deserve more than an apology. You deserve justice that lands.