In all, there were 115 passengers and crew on the Continental Airlines plane, which was bound for Houston. The right wing and fuselage were both cracked, but it is not yet known what caused the plane to leave the runway. The plane is reported to have veered off the airport's runway, skidded into a ravine approximately 200 yards from the runway and caught fire. The right side of the plane was engulfed in flames and the plane's wheels were sheared off. Fuel tanks were also leaking, resulting in panic that the plane would explode.Meanwhile, a lawsuit has been filed in another plane crash. According to the Port Clinton NewsHerald, a lawsuit claims a flight instructor gave his student certification to fly twin-engine aircraft, even though the student was not prepared to fly such planes. The pilot and 3 others were killed in the plane crash, which occurred on January 12, 2008 as the plane approached a Port Clinton airport.
The plane crashed into a back yard just short of the airport's runway, killing the pilot, his wife and 2 friends. All victims were in their 60s. The National Transportation Safety Board says that the pilot was unable to maintain airspeed, which caused the plane crash. The lawsuit, however, alleges that the pilot was not competent to fly a twin-engine airplane and had only 12.5 hours of flight time in such a plane. In fact, prior to the accident, the pilot was reported to have trouble maintaining plane speed during landings. The flight instructor said that he was aware of the problem but he felt that it would improve as the pilot gained experience in the plane.
The pilot did have experience in single-engine aircraft, but flying a twin-engine plane is different. The lawsuit was filed against Advanced Flight Specialists of America, LLC and its owner, Raymond C. Carrol. It seeks at least $25,000 in damages and alleges that the instructor did not warn the pilot about the danger of not maintaining adequate speed in a twin-engine plane.
Improper training can be an important factor in a plane crash. Although a pilot may be able to fly a plane if there are no complications, experience—and proper training—can help a pilot develop necessary skills to deal with any situation. Pilots frequently face vital decisions that must be made in a split second and proper training can help to ensure that they are fully capable of making those decisions.
Improper training has been alleged in the plane crash that took 4 lives and injured 2 musicians. The widow of one of the victims has filed a lawsuit against at least one of the pilots' estate, alleging they were "poorly trained" and "negligently decided to abort and/or reject takeoff." The plane crashed after the pilots decided to abort takeoff following a blown tire. Some experts have said that the pilots should have continued with take off because there would not have been enough room on the runway to safely stop the plane.
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Improper training can cause a pilot to make a poor decision at the wrong time—or to not even recognize that a decision must be made or action must be taken. That is why it is absolutely vital to ensure that pilots have the required amount of flight hours and the proper training before they fly. Granted, most pilots do have plenty of experience and have the knowledge to deal with emergency situations—but some may not. Some may have been pushed through their training and in those cases, it's important to hold those responsible for allowing improperly trained pilots to fly accountable for any damages that may result.