Bucking Bar

This is a nearly illegal end run around the Family Assistance Act. Lawyers are prohibited from soliciting clients for a period after an aviation accident. To get around the restrictions they publish these "news articles" and hope potential aviation clients will contact them.

While there is no money in claims from this fuel diversion, they hope to keep their names out there and keep issues in the public consciousness.

Several factors have really cut down on the earnings of aviation plaintiff attorneys. First, general aviation is the "bread and butter" of aviation litigation since they have more losses and these losses involve more gray areas that provide the uncertainty needed to target a wide variety of potential defendants. General Aviation declined as fuel prices rose and then got hit hard by the downturn.

Then, advanced avionics have contributed a great deal to safety. My small aircraft now has a reliable standby avionics, a basic GPWS and TCAS systems.

The 121 carriers have also had nearly perfect safety records the last few years. Even US Air's Hudson River cruise was handled so expertly there was little opportunity for plaintiff attorneys.

Fewer crashes mean less money for plaintiff attorneys.