Injuries from Emergency Landings

Fighting for Passengers When an Emergency Landing Turns Chaotic

You never expect to feel that drop. That stomach-turning moment when the pilot’s voice changes tone and everyone grabs a hand rest just a little tighter. Emergency landings happen fast and when they do, injuries often follow. The jolt, the smoke, the confusion—it’s chaos. But what comes next shouldn’t be.

Our personal injury attorneys at Horn Wright, LLP, represent victims of emergency landing injuries throughout New York, and we also serve New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Every state sets its own rules for liability, deadlines, and compensation. We know them all. 

Whether your landing involved a commercial jet at JFK, a private charter in Albany, or a regional aircraft up north, we’ll help you figure out who’s responsible and how to move forward.

You don’t have to relive every second to get justice. You just need a legal team that understands how to turn that terrifying moment into accountability and recovery. Contact us at (855) 465-4622 for a conversation that starts with your story and ends with a plan.

What Counts as an Emergency Landing Injury

Emergency landings sound dramatic, but they’re more common than people think. 

They don’t always end in fire and wreckage. Some happen because of technical warnings, others because of bird strikes, medical emergencies, or midair malfunctions. What they share is one thing—risk.

In New York, airlines and operators are considered “common carriers,” meaning they owe passengers the highest duty of care under the law. That includes during an emergency. If their negligence helped cause that situation, or made it worse, you may have a valid claim.

In other states like New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, similar standards apply but the comparative fault and damages rules differ. We adapt your case to those nuances so your rights don’t slip through cracks in the law.

You’re not suing over turbulence. You’re holding accountable the people and companies who turned a manageable event into something catastrophic.

Common Injuries from Emergency Landings

Even “successful” emergency landings can leave passengers hurt. The forces involved, the sudden stops, and the panic that follows can all cause lasting harm.

• Head and spinal injuries. The jolt of impact often throws passengers forward against seats or side panels, leading to concussions, herniated discs, or whiplash.
• Broken bones and fractures. Hard landings or slides down evacuation chutes can break wrists, ankles, or ribs—injuries that take months to heal.
• Burns and smoke inhalation. Fires, friction, or electrical malfunctions release toxic fumes. Even short exposure can lead to respiratory issues or permanent scarring.
• Lacerations and contusions. Debris and unsecured items become projectiles in chaos. Cuts and deep bruises often hide internal damage.
• Psychological trauma. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and flight phobia are common after a near-death experience. Emotional injuries deserve just as much attention as physical ones.

You didn’t cause the failure, and you shouldn’t carry its cost.

What Causes Emergency Landings in the First Place

Every emergency landing tells a story—a chain of decisions and mechanical issues that collide midair. Uncovering that chain is key to proving negligence.

• Mechanical failure. Engines, hydraulics, or landing gear systems that weren’t maintained properly can force sudden descents. Maintenance logs often reveal patterns of neglect.
• Pilot error. Fatigue, misjudged approaches, or failure to follow procedures can turn routine flight issues into full-blown emergencies.
• Defective aircraft components. Faulty sensors, brake assemblies, or software logic can trigger false alerts, or worse, total system failure.
• Weather-related mismanagement. Flying into storms or ignoring wind shear warnings magnifies risk. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) weather protocols exist for a reason.
• Airport and air traffic control mistakes. Miscommunication or delayed clearances can turn a tense situation into disaster.

Each cause requires its own investigative path and we chase every one.

How Liability Works After an Emergency Landing

You might think it’s clear who’s to blame, but aviation law isn’t that simple. Responsibility can spread across multiple players, and they all point fingers at each other. We connect the dots.

• Airlines and operators. If procedures weren’t followed or maintenance was skipped, their negligence sits at the center.
• Manufacturers. When faulty parts or software contributed, product liability laws bring them to the table.
• Maintenance contractors. These third-party vendors often handle aircraft upkeep and inspections. Bad paperwork or poor training equals liability.
• Airports and air traffic control. If ground conditions, poor runway design, or communication failures played a role, they share the blame.
• Government entities. In rare cases involving federal negligence, the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) governs lawsuits against agencies.

We use experts—pilots, engineers, investigators—to prove exactly who made the wrong call and when. No guesswork. No finger-pointing fog. Just facts.

The Investigation Timeline You Can Expect

Aviation investigations move in layers. The NTSB and FAA focus on prevention, not compensation. That’s why we launch our own from day one.

• Evidence preservation. We issue hold letters to airlines, maintenance providers, and manufacturers to prevent destroyed or “lost” records.
• Data recovery. Flight data recorders, cockpit audio, and maintenance logs create the timeline that explains everything.
• Witness interviews. Crew statements, passenger accounts, and control tower communications round out the story.
• Expert analysis. Aeronautical engineers and human factors specialists test scenarios to replicate what happened in those final minutes.
• Legal filing. Once we have the technical proof, we file your claim under Civil Practice Law & Rules Section 214(5) in New York or the matching statute where the crash occurred.

You’ll get updates in plain language—no technical jargon, no empty promises—just where we’re at, why it matters, and what’s next.

What Your Claim Can Cover

An emergency landing can leave you with injuries, trauma, and financial strain that last for years. Your claim should reflect all of it—not just the hospital bills.

• Medical expenses. Emergency room visits, surgeries, rehabilitation, therapy, and future treatments are included. We calculate not just the now, but the years ahead.
• Lost income and career impact. Missed work, reduced hours, or long-term disability can all factor into your recovery.
• Pain and suffering. Physical pain, sleeplessness, fear of flying—it all counts. New York and other states allow compensation for emotional damage.
• Wrongful death damages. If you lost someone you love, EPTL Article 5-4.1 allows families to pursue funeral costs, lost financial support, and emotional loss.
• Property losses. Damaged personal items or luggage are recoverable too—because every detail matters.

We use economists, medical experts, and therapists to translate every hardship into value the court, and the insurer, can’t ignore.

Why Acting Quickly Matters More Than Ever

Airlines don’t wait, and neither should you. Their investigators are already at work, shaping narratives that make the event sound unavoidable. 

Evidence disappears fast—maintenance logs get “updated,” flight data gets “archived,” and witnesses scatter. We move immediately. Within days, we lock down evidence, contact experts, and notify all potential defendants. 

In cases involving public entities like airport authorities, we file the required Notice of Claim under GML Section 50-e before the deadline closes (sometimes as short as 90 days). 

Waiting feels tempting when you’re exhausted, but it’s exactly what the other side hopes for.

Turning Survival Into Strength

Walking away from an emergency landing feels like a miracle, but it’s also the beginning of something new: the fight to reclaim stability. You survived what others couldn’t, and now it’s time to protect what that moment almost took from you.

Our aviation and airplane accident attorneys at Horn Wright, LLP, have helped aviation  hold airlines, manufacturers, and operators accountable for negligence that nearly cost them everything. 

We don’t just handle the law. We handle the people behind it. The fear, the frustration, the fatigue. We get it. If you’re ready to start your recovery, contact our office.  We’ll explain your rights, outline a plan, and make sure you’re never treated like just another passenger on a manifest.

Because when an emergency landing shakes your world, the path forward should feel steady, guided, and built for you. That’s what we do, every single time.