Aviation Accident Lawyer
Whether it was a commercial airline, a small private plane, or a helicopter, an aviation accident leaves families with impossible questions — and a legal maze of federal rules, international treaties, and unforgiving deadlines. Our offices are in New Jersey and New York, and we review aviation cases from anywhere in the United States. No fee unless we win.
Aviation claims run on overlapping federal, state, and international rules. Many international-flight claims carry a strict two-year deadline under the Montreal Convention, claims involving the federal government require administrative filings first, and NTSB investigations can take a year or more — your family's claim should not wait for the report. Free, confidential case review: (201) 335-6788. No fee unless we win.
A maze of rules.
One steady guide.
Aviation is among the most complex areas of injury law. A single crash can implicate state negligence law, federal aviation regulations, product-liability law, an international treaty, and government-claim procedures — each with its own deadlines. Airlines and their insurers know this terrain intimately. Grieving families don't, and they shouldn't have to.
We take that weight off your family. We move early to preserve what matters — wreckage, maintenance and training records, flight data — work with qualified aviation experts to establish what actually happened, and identify every responsible party and every policy that applies. When a case calls for it, we work alongside additional experienced counsel so your family has the full strength the case demands.
You will work directly with John Onal from the first conversation, with the patience and privacy these cases require. There is never a fee unless we recover for your family.
Airplane, helicopter &
in-flight injury claims.
Commercial Airline Accidents
Airlines are common carriers held to a high duty of care. Crashes, hard landings, runway and ground incidents, and evacuation injuries on scheduled flights.
Small Plane Crashes
Most aviation accidents involve general aviation — private planes brought down by pilot error, maintenance failures, weather decisions, or defective components.
Helicopter Crashes
Tour flights, medical transport, news and utility operations — aircraft with distinct failure modes and operators who answer for them.
Charter & Private Jets
Charter operators, fractional ownership, and corporate flights — where operator responsibility, pilot qualifications, and maintenance practices come under scrutiny.
In-Flight & Boarding Injuries
Turbulence handling, falling luggage, service carts, jet-bridge and boarding incidents — injuries that can support claims against the airline without a crash.
International Flights
Claims governed by the Montreal Convention — special liability rules, and a strict two-year deadline that ends claims filed late.
Who can be held
responsible.
Aviation crashes rarely have a single cause — and rarely a single responsible party. Part of our job is tracing every failure to the party behind it, and every insurance policy that applies.
Common carriers held to a high duty of care — answerable for crew decisions, training, dispatch, and operations.
Makers of aircraft, engines, and components with design or manufacturing defects — noting that a federal law (GARA) can limit claims involving older general-aviation aircraft, which makes early analysis critical.
Facilities and mechanics whose skipped inspections, improper repairs, or falsified logs put an aircraft in the air it shouldn't have been in.
Pilot error remains a leading cause of crashes. Claims can proceed against a pilot's insurance and estate, and against owners who entrusted an aircraft improperly.
Operators who sold the flight, set the schedule, chose the pilot, and were responsible for the safety of the operation.
When air traffic control or other federal functions contributed, claims proceed under the Federal Tort Claims Act — with an administrative claim required first and strict deadlines throughout.
The rules that decide
aviation cases.
Airlines Are Held to a High Standard
Commercial airlines are common carriers, which means the law holds them to a high duty of care toward their passengers. When crew decisions, training, maintenance, or operations fall short of that standard and someone is hurt, the airline can be held responsible.
The NTSB Investigates — You Shouldn't Wait
The National Transportation Safety Board investigates civil aviation accidents, and its work can take a year or more. Your family's legal claim runs on its own clock. Evidence — wreckage, maintenance and training records, flight data — must be preserved early, and an independent investigation can begin immediately.
International Flights: The Montreal Convention
Many claims arising from international airline travel are governed by a treaty called the Montreal Convention, with its own liability rules for passenger death, injury, and onboard accidents — and a strict two-year deadline for filing suit. Late claims are generally lost entirely.
Defective Aircraft & Parts
When a design or manufacturing defect brings an aircraft down, product-liability claims reach the manufacturer. One caution: a federal law, the General Aviation Revitalization Act, can limit claims against manufacturers of older general-aviation aircraft — one more reason early legal analysis matters.
Claims Involving the Government
If air traffic control or another federal function played a role, the claim proceeds under the Federal Tort Claims Act — which requires filing an administrative claim first and observing strict deadlines, under procedures very different from a lawsuit against a private company.
Deadlines & Where the Case Is Filed
Outside the treaty and federal contexts, deadlines vary by state for injury and wrongful-death claims — and in aviation, where the case is filed can significantly affect it, since crashes often touch multiple states and jurisdictions. Sorting that out early is part of building the case right.
What we move fast
to preserve.
In aviation cases, the evidence that decides everything — wreckage, flight data, maintenance logs, ATC recordings — is controlled by other people from day one. Moving early is not optional.
We act quickly to put every party on notice to preserve evidence: the aircraft and wreckage, flight data and cockpit voice recorders where they exist, maintenance and inspection records, pilot training and duty-time records, fueling records, weather briefings, and air traffic control communications. Then we work with qualified aviation experts — crash investigation, engineering, piloting, and medical — to establish what happened and what it means for your family's claim.
Serious aviation cases can also involve our brain & spinal injury and wrongful death practices — prepared to the same trial-ready standard.
What a claim
can pursue.
After a Fatal Crash
- Wrongful-death damages for the family's loss
- A survival action for what your loved one endured
- Loss of financial support and services
- Funeral and related expenses
For Injured Survivors
- Current & future medical and rehabilitation care
- Lost wages & lost earning capacity
- Pain, suffering & loss of enjoyment of life
- Care for permanent and catastrophic injuries
Free & confidential consultation · No fee unless we win · Available 24/7
Call (201) 335-6788Steps that protect
your family's case.
Put medical care and family first
Get the treatment you or your family needs, and keep records of everything. Nothing on this list matters more than that.
Keep every document
Tickets, boarding passes, itineraries, charter agreements, waivers, photos, and any correspondence from the airline or operator — small documents can decide which laws govern the claim.
Be careful with airline representatives
Airlines and insurers may reach out quickly with assistance — and paperwork. Don't give recorded statements or sign releases before an attorney reads them.
Don't wait for the NTSB
The official investigation runs on its own long timeline. Your claim's deadlines — some as short as two years, some shorter — run regardless.
Talk to us — when you're ready
The consultation is free, confidential, and without obligation. We'll tell you honestly which rules govern your family's claim and what the path forward looks like.
Serving Families
Nationwide.
Our offices are in Elmwood Park, New Jersey and Brooklyn, New York — but you can call us from anywhere in the United States. We review aviation cases from every state and, when it's required, work alongside counsel admitted in that state so your family's case is handled properly from start to finish.
No Case Too Small.
No Case Too Big.
Whatever your family is facing, you get the same thing from us: direct attention from John Onal, a full investigation, and a file prepared as if it's going to trial — because that's what makes an insurance company take a claim seriously in the first place.
Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Available 24/7.
Aviation case questions,
answered straight.
Who can be held responsible after a plane or helicopter crash?+
Depending on what caused the crash: the airline or operator, the pilot or the pilot's estate, the aircraft owner, aircraft and component manufacturers, maintenance and repair facilities, charter and tour companies, flight schools — and in some cases the federal government, when air traffic control is involved. Aviation cases often involve more than one responsible party, which is why the investigation matters so much.
Do we have to wait for the NTSB report?+
No — and you shouldn't. NTSB investigations can take a year or more, and your claim runs on its own deadlines. Evidence like wreckage, maintenance records, and witness accounts needs to be preserved early, and an independent investigation can begin long before the government's report is finished.
The crash was on an international flight. Are the rules different?+
Yes. Many claims arising from international airline travel are governed by a treaty called the Montreal Convention, which has its own liability rules and a strict two-year deadline for filing suit. Missing that deadline generally ends the claim — speak with an attorney promptly after any international-flight accident.
What about a small private plane crash?+
Most aviation accidents involve general aviation — small private planes. These cases commonly turn on pilot error, maintenance failures, or defective parts, and claims may involve the pilot's insurance and estate, the aircraft owner, mechanics, and manufacturers. A federal law called the General Aviation Revitalization Act can limit claims against manufacturers of older aircraft, which makes early legal analysis important.
Are helicopter crashes handled the same way?+
The legal framework is similar, but helicopters — tour flights, medical transport, news and utility operations — have distinct failure modes and operators. Claims can involve the tour or charter company, the operator, maintenance providers, and component manufacturers.
I was hurt during a flight — turbulence, falling luggage, a cart. Is that a claim?+
It can be. Passengers injured on board — by turbulence handling, falling bags, service carts, or crew negligence — may have claims against the airline, and on international flights the Montreal Convention has specific rules for onboard injuries. These claims also run on strict deadlines.
What if air traffic control or the government was involved?+
Claims against the federal government proceed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which requires filing an administrative claim first and observing strict deadlines — procedures very different from a lawsuit against a private company.
How long do we have to file an aviation claim?+
It depends on the type of claim. Deadlines vary by state for injury and wrongful-death claims, the Montreal Convention imposes a strict two-year deadline on many international-flight claims, and claims involving the federal government have their own short administrative deadlines. Some of these deadlines are unforgiving — confirm yours with an attorney promptly.
Can you review a case outside New Jersey or New York?+
Yes. Our offices are in New Jersey and New York, but you can call us from anywhere in the United States. We review aviation cases from every state and, when it's required, work alongside counsel admitted in that state so your family's case is handled properly from start to finish.
What does an aviation accident lawyer cost?+
Nothing up front. We work on contingency: no fee unless we recover compensation for your family, and the consultation is always free and confidential.