Five People Died When Care Flight Medical Aircraft Transporting Patient Crashed Near Stagecoach, Nevada
STAGECOACH, NEVADA (February 27, 2023) – Five people tragically died when a Care Flight medical aircraft crashed in Stagecoach, Nevada while transporting a patient.
Lyon County officials are saying that the accident took place around 9:15 p.m. on Friday. The air ambulance took off from Reno-Tahoe International Airport and was heading to Utah when it crashed.
Firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene in order to help all of the victims. Sadly, all five people on the plane died due to the severe nature of their injuries.
The five people on board were identified as a pilot, a flight nurse, paramedic, a patient and their relative. Authorities have not yet identified what may have caused the plane to crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration is currently conducting an investigation.
Liability For Stagecoach Plane Crashes
Commercial aviation is typically very safe. There are many years where there were zero US commercial flight accidents. The majority of plane crashes that occur involve smaller planes used in private aviation. Smaller planes tend to lack many of the safety features and redundancies that commercial aircraft have. For example, commercial aircraft often have two pilots and two engines. There are a number of steps that can be taken to prevent plane crashes.
- Planes should be periodically inspected and well-maintained.
- Pilots should perform a pre-flight safety check.
- Pilots should be well-trained, especially for emergency scenarios.
- Pilots should avoid flying during periods of very poor weather or excessive fog.
Airplanes are considered “common carriers” and are therefore held to a high standard in terms of safety. They must do everything that human vigilance and foresight can reasonably do to keep their passengers safe. Depending on the facts of any case, there could be numerous sources of liability for a plane crash. For example, the air traffic controller could have given a pilot very poor instructions which then led to a crash.
The company that manufactured an aircraft could also potentially be liable for a plane crash. Companies have a legal responsibility to create products that are reasonably safe. They can be held liable for the design, manufacturing or marketing defects with their products. In strict liability claims against a manufacturer, it is not necessary to show that negligence caused an accident. There are a number of steps that should be taken after a plane crash.
- The “black box” for the plane should be recovered and examined.
- All communication between the pilot and ground control should be reviewed.
- Eye witnesses should be interviewed.
- Maintenance records for the aircraft involved in the crash should be studied.
Plane crashes can be extremely complex events. Elements that lead up to a plane crash could take place hours or months prior to a crash. It typically takes the FAA 6 months to 1 year to determine the cause of any crash. The family of any person that died in a plane crash may be able to seek some measure of aid through a wrongful death claim.
Investigating A Nevada Plane Crash
We at TorkLaw extend our deepest condolences to the families of all of the victims that died. This was a horrific tragedy. It is our sincere hope that there is a thorough investigation and that steps are taken to prevent other tragedies like this. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to the FAA.
Do you need more information about a Stagecoach plane crash? Our team of aviation safety advocates are here for you. We care deeply that accident victims are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free, independent investigation into any incident we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (888) 441-4991.
