Aviation crashes occur for a variety of reasons, however, they should not happen because a component in the aircraft was improperly manufactured. Our client, an experienced fixed-wing and helicopter pilot, was piloting a helicopter when the tail rotor pinion shaft fractured between the bevel gear and the helical gear. The fracture resulted in an in-flight tail rotor drive failure, causing the helicopter to crash.
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Upon further investigation attorneys Shalimar Wallis and Oscar Quiroz, along with their team, found that the pinion gear shaft failed because it did not meet the manufacturing specifications. Specifically, the manufacturer failed to ensure that the shaft was heat treated in accordance with specifications. Further, the manufacturer did not even have a process in place to verify that the parts it manufactured for use in the subject helicopter complied with the design specifications. This represents a gross deviation from the industry standards.
Our client, who was a highly experienced pilot and had more flight hours than every expert that was involved in the case, was fortunate enough to survive the crash but suffered multiple fractures, contusions, and a broken knee. He will likely never return to his pre-crash condition. Luckily our team was able to thoroughly work this case to find the opposing party at fault resulting in a settlement.
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This crash could have been prevented had the manufacturer adhered to the design specifications or had it taken the proper steps to verify that the end product complied with the design parameters. Our team held this entity accountable for their carelessness which resulted in our client’s extensive injuries and damages. Great job, team!
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