Aircraft Accident Reconstruction & Litigation, Fourth Edition

Lawyers and engineers must link their work when they set about untangling plane wreckage, and this compendium supports the search for probable causes and the examination of legal aspects. Coverage includes the elements of aerodynamics, structural design, powerplants, and aircraft control techniques as well as the specifics of investigative techniques and the nuances of law, such as product liability and negligence. A substantial appendices section (over 120 pages) presents such material as a glossary of aviation terms, sample contracts and petitions, a civil aviation case checklist for general aviation and commercial air crashes, FAA enforcement actions, manufacturers' safety and quality control programs, safety audits, and a comparison of the effectiveness of charts and graphs with that of computer-generated video in the presentation of data. Authors McCormick and Papadakis are seasoned engineers in the field, and their work is fleshed out by contributions from a distinguished cast of legal experts.

Aviation accident litigation is one of the most complex and difficult areas of the law in which to litigate successfully. The key to this success is a complete and timely investigation. The authors reveal how to proceed in this specialized arena. I recommend the text as first reading on the subject of aircraft investigation techniques.

Aircraft Accident Reconstruction and Litigation provides a sound introduction to the considerations that must go into aircraft accident causation analysis and litigation... What the work accomplishes most notably is to sort out the complex considerations that comprise the accident in a way that would educate the attorney in understanding the evidence and fording the appropriate theory of the case. In so doing, the work serves as a valuable aid in relaying hte results of aircraft accident analysis, as evidence of causation, to a jury.

The most creative, analytical, resourceful and imaginative mind in the field of aviation litigation is M.P. Papadakis. ...I have seen him dissect the materials and evidence from aviation crash cases better by far than anyone else in his field. His uncanny ability to focus on the task at hand in the investigation and litigation of an aviation crash or disaster makes him the best - the pace setter in his field. His ability to articulate his approach and method will help any reader steer a more direct course towards vistory for the client.

Many times I have cases referred to me considered, by the referring attorney, to be hopeless. They have been handled (mishandled) because the attorney did not have an adequate background in aviation accident litigation. Many of these hopeless cases turned out to be cases of considerable merit. Aircraft Accident Reconstruction and Litigation should be at the right hand of every lawyer, both inexperienced and experience who would attempt to handle aviation litigation. Even the most experienced aviation litigation specialists do not have the wealth of knowledge contained in this text.