Fort Lauderdale Aircraft Maintenance Lawsuit Lawyer

Airplane maintenance facilities play a specific role in assuring an airplane’s safety through preventative and routine maintenance. Maintenance facilities must adhere to FAA maintenance and certification regulations designed to promote safety and airworthiness.

If your facility has been accused of negligence or misconduct, a Fort Lauderdale aircraft maintenance lawsuit lawyer can help.

Maintenance lawsuits can result from improper maintenance or simply because an airplane owner or aviation component manufacturer believes a maintenance facility caused an airplane accident. Aero Law Center and our Fort Lauderdale aviation litigation lawyers can help defend maintenance facilities against legal claims, depending on the facts and circumstances involved.

Aero Law Center services aviation businesses globally for all of your aviation business needs.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Regulations Governing Aircraft Maintenance Facilities

Aircraft maintenance facilities are subject to strict regulations by the FAA, including 14 C.F.R. Parts 43 and 145, which govern maintenance standards, recordkeeping, and repair station certification. Because of the potential for significant damage and loss of life in the event of an aviation accident, these facilities assume significant liability in this line of work.

Retaining legal counsel from the experienced aviation lawyers at Aero Law Center can assist in addressing issues early and evaluating appropriate legal responses.

When you hire our team, we advise on legal compliance and risk and assist in responding to regulatory or customer concerns related to repairs or maintenance, with the goal of reducing legal exposure where appropriate.

What Are Examples of Aircraft Maintenance Errors?

Ensuring the safety of an airplane and its performance are two primary goals of airplane maintenance facilities. Keeping planes up and running also prevents downtime losses for airplane owners and ensures crew members and passengers are protected from dangerous accidents.

Despite the rules and regulations, airplane accidents happen. Investigations frequently identify maintenance-related factors among the causes examined after aircraft incidents. Sometimes maintenance crews miss signs of malfunction, or airplane owners opt for cheap labor.

Malfunctioning equipment in an airplane can contribute to aircraft accidents and performance issues. Examples of the issues that lead to poor performance include:

Electrical wiring issues
Leftover loose objects from a repair
Fitting of wrong parts
Inadequate lubrication
Incorrect installation of parts
Unsecured fuel, oil caps, and fuel panels

One of the most important investments any aircraft maintenance facility can make is staff training and development to reduce maintenance and repair errors. We recommend that facilities keep detailed and accurate logbooks to maintain records when maintenance checks or repairs are complete.

Whether it’s aircraft transactions, commercial litigation, or compliance, we excel at creating solutions to unique challenges.

How Can Maintenance Mistakes Be Prevented?

Airplane maintenance mistakes result in dangerous consequences for passengers and crew members. Maintenance errors can lead to poor airplane performance and accidents that result in property damage, bodily injury, and death. The key to reducing maintenance issues is understanding why the mistakes happen in the first place.

FAA human factors guidance identifies common contributors to maintenance errors:

Distractions in the maintenance work environment
Employee multi-tasking that leads to skipped steps
Communication errors, such as failure to voice concern when there is one or more issues on the aircraft
Rushed inspections and maintenance checks due to complacency or years of experience
Inexperienced technicians
Fatigue and stress due to burnout or staffing shortages
Adoption of poor practices and procedures

Airplane maintenance facilities shoulder critical tasks, and FAA maintenance regulations must be followed to prevent mistakes and save lives. Airplane maintenance facilities are subject to sanctions, certificate action, letters of correction, remedial training, or enforcement proceedings when errors are found, and lawsuits are filed.

Our Fort Lauderdale aircraft maintenance lawsuit attorneys advise on legal compliance and risk. This guidance can help maintenance facilities identify legal exposure and reduce disputes and regulatory issues, based on the specific facts involved.

How Do Maintenance Errors Lead to a Lawsuit?

Airplane owners are customers of airplane maintenance facilities. Sometimes maintenance crews overlook necessary repairs or engage in other negligent behavior.

For example, a technician might be assigned to perform a specific maintenance task, such as an oil change. During the oil change, the technician finds an entirely different issue with the airplane, but doesn’t speak up or log the issue in the airplane maintenance facility’s logbook. The problem causes the aircraft to leak, and later results in thousands of dollars of repairs.

The airplane owner is justified in filing a lawsuit against the airplane maintenance facility for the mistake that caused unnecessary damage and repairs.

Of course, the problem could also have arisen after the oil change. Liability depends on whether the alleged maintenance error can be shown to have caused the damage claimed.

Airplane maintenance facilities hire Aero Law Center to investigate and settle maintenance negligence lawsuits or dismiss faulty claims.

How Aircraft Maintenance Lawsuits Are Evaluated Under the Law

Aircraft maintenance lawsuits are generally governed by Florida tort and contract law, depending on the nature of the claim and the agreements in place.

While Federal Aviation Administration regulations establish maintenance standards and may inform the applicable standard of care, they do not create a private right of action on their own. Liability must still be proven through evidence of duty, breach, causation, and damages under state law.

How Can an Aircraft Maintenance Lawsuit Attorney in Fort Lauderdale Help Me With a Lawsuit?

Our firm will explore different defenses to protect your airplane maintenance facility from costly charges and penalties as lawsuits arise. This might include defenses such as lack of causation, comparative negligence, assumption of risk, or intervening acts, depending on the allegations against your business.

Defenses depend on the facts, contracts, and available evidence, and our Fort Lauderdale aircraft maintenance lawsuit lawyers conduct thorough due diligence to address claims and legal risk.

The aircraft owner or operator is responsible for continued airworthiness, while maintenance providers are responsible for properly performing and documenting the work they undertake.

However, airplane owners and pilots often file lawsuits against airplane maintenance facilities after an airplane accident. When an accident causes bodily injury, death, or property damage, lawsuits against airplane maintenance facilities are common.

Protecting Aircraft Maintenance Facilities Before Legal Issues Arise

Even the most well-run aircraft maintenance facility is bound to face a lawsuit from time to time.

Because aircraft maintenance facilities commonly face legal action, taking proactive steps to protect your business is always the best course of action. At Aero Law Center, we offer AeroShield™ as a way to protect your company before legal issues arise.

AeroShield™ is a unique legal plan we created for businesses operating in the aviation industry. With this legal subscription model, you can get tiered legal services that meet your needs. Some of the benefits of a subscription include:

Flexible legal hours: You can choose the tier that works for you, offering one to three legal hours each month, with additional hours available at a discounted rate.
Educational support: During monthly or quarterly training sessions with our lawyers, your team will receive guidance on regulatory and compliance issues.
B2B focus: AeroShield™ is designed for aviation businesses and aims to ensure they have access to reliable and affordable legal resources when needed.

Reach Out to an Experienced Aircraft Maintenance Lawsuit Lawyer Serving Fort Lauderdale Today

When lawsuits arise, Aero Law Center gathers evidence, investigates other interested parties, and conducts in-depth consultations with industry experts to build a case and reach a settlement agreement. It’s our goal to protect your reputation, reduce risks in your business, and resolve legal matters quickly to keep your company up and running.

Our legal team provides airplane maintenance facilities with actionable legal counsel in a demanding and regulated industry prone to disputes, customer challenges, and costly lawsuits that disrupt operations.

If your airplane maintenance facility is facing a lawsuit, contact our aviation-focused maintenance lawsuit lawyers to get answers during a complimentary initial consultation.

The sooner you contact our team, the sooner we can put our years of expertise to use and ease you through the process.

Frequently Asked Questions & Support

The Federal Aviation Administration, or the “FAA” is an arm of the Department of Transportation (DOT). It controls aviation business matters, including air traffic management and the certification of personnel and aircraft. The FAA sets the standard for airport conditions and protects U.S. assets during the launch of commercial space vehicles. The FAA issues directives and legal regulations to ensure the safety of all airplanes, including mandated correction for any unsafe conditions in an aircraft. This could include an aircraft’s plane, engine, propeller, or appliance. All operators must conduct business compliantly and follow the FAA’s guidance and provisions, and any certifications must be present in the aircraft.

An FBO stands for Fixed Base Operator (FBO). FBOs operate like private terminals and facilitate private jet and charter operations. Commercial companies are given access by an airport to work on the grounds and provide flight services, fuel, parking, and hangar space. FBOs offer three tiers that provide different accommodations depending on the amount of traffic and size of the airport, including pilot lounges, restrooms and shower facilities, catering, aerial photography, parking, pilot instruction, private jet charter, and much more. Smaller and less busy airports might only offer basic amenities, while more significant, commercial airports have a full suite of extras, like waiting rooms, in-flight catering, and other conveniences.

According to the FAA’s strict aviation provisions and regulations, every aircraft must be deemed “airworthy” to fly. A Standard Airworthiness Certification is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) official authorization regarding the operation of type-certificated aircraft, including normal, utility, acrobatic, commuter, transport, manned free balloons, and special classes. All operators must have a Standard or Special Airworthiness Certification to prove the safety and condition of the aircraft. It must be publicly visible to all crew members, inspection companies, and passengers in the cockpit or cabin. Certification delays can cost pilots thousands, sometimes millions of dollars, though an aviation lawyer can provide helpful counsel to avoid mistakes and complete the process.

Sometimes mechanics are the only thing standing between the aircraft and a potential problem if an issue is overlooked or not properly taken care of. Maintenance facilities aren’t always at fault. However, suppose a plane crashes, and people are injured or killed. In that case, repair shops are often part of the legal investigation to uncover any mistakes, errors, or other issues that might have caused an accident. Malfunctioning equipment is one cause of crashes, electrical wiring issues, fitting of wrong parts, mistakes, leftover loose objects, incorrect installation of fuel or oil caps, and other similar mistakes are often looked at in a plane accident case.

A fractional jet ownership arrangement affords one or more operators to share in jet ownership through shares or equity in the aircraft. With this arrangement, operators can use the plane for a certain number of hours each year, as outlined in the contract. An interest in an aircraft defines a fractional ownership agreement; shares are sold to multiple owners based on 800 occupied hours and sold in fractions. The cost is divided among the total number of co-operators, and each person is responsible for their operational share. In such an arrangement, flying time typically ranges between 50 and 400 hours, and most jet shares will become multiple of one-sixteenth.

Hangar rash results from an airplane accident or damage to an airplane while being towed in the hangar, moved, or elements inside the hangar that cause physical harm, including falling parts, debris, and weather. Hangar keepers are responsible for any liabilities and unexpected damages to a client’s aircraft. The damage to an airplane can cost thousands to millions of dollars, which also impacts a plane’s overall resale value. Operators often utilize our services when their aircraft has been damaged in hangar storage, a hangar keeper is involved in a lawsuit due to plane damage, or owners need to protect their business from false allegations and lawsuits.

Depending on how much you fly or if you have considered turning your aviation passion into a business, there are various ways to get started outside of an aircraft purchase. Consider purpose, expenses and costs, usage, and other similar factors. Aero Law Center helps operators purchase an aircraft, consider financing options, and adhere to regulations or alternatives such as leasing or fractional ownership. With wet or dry leases, leasing is affordable and accessible with the benefit of fixed monthly payments. Buying shares or equity in an aircraft through fractional ownership is a similar and approachable option if an outright purchase isn’t in the cards.

Aircraft Maintenance Lawsuit Lawyer in Fort Lauderdale