When looking at track records, the biggest question of safety in the Bombardier Q400 seems to be the failure of the landing gear to retract. Airworthiness directives in the archives refer to this issue as “fatigue failure of the nose landing gear electrical harness” although when gear retraction failed in 2007 on a Scandinavian Airlines plane, the cause of the failure was described as “hydraulics actuator top eyebolt was separated from the actuator.”

Of course in the Buffalo Crash, the landing gear issue did not come into play.

Significant icing may have been THE problem. It may have been icing that crippled the plane, period. It may have been a salvageable situation. It may have been a crisis situation that nine out of ten pilots could have handled–or 1 in 100.

Or it may have been one of several factors.

The Buffalo flight apparently slowed enough to lose lift.

When the stall-warning system angled the plane’s nose down to regain speed, instead of following the proper procedure–lowering the nose to get out of a stall–the captain pulled back on the controls and added power.

Pilot training is being discussed as a factor in the crash. Or was it as James Fallows postulates a “tailplane stall?”

Nasa Tailplane Stall Video

However speculation about what happened is simply a logical exercise. The NTSB investigation is ongoing as the FBI, NTSB, and FAA examine the flight data and the world waits for an answer. What is not a logical exercise is allowing Bombardier Q400s to continue flying in icy conditions when there are two issues that need addressing:

Icing.

Training.

At the very least, Bombardier Bombardier Q400s should be grounded in icy weather until the results are out.

Hoover Dam Crash Victims Retain Jim Vititoe of Masry and Vititoe
LAS VEGAS NEVADA, Feb 22, 2009- Families and victims of the deadly Hoover Dam tour bus crash have hired famous California Attorney Jim Vititoe to represent them. If Jim Vititoe sounds familiar, it’s because he is the President of Masry and Vititoe, the firm that successfully handled the famous Hinkley water contamination case profiled in the movie Erin Brockovich.

The crash which took seven lives occurred 27 miles south of the Hoover Dam on January 30 at 4 pm. The bus was returning a group of Chinese tourists to Las Vegas from the Grand Canyon. A tour guide and six Chinese tourists were killed in the crash; the driver and nine others were injured. Fifteen of the seventeen passengers were ejected through the windows.

NTSB lead investigator Peter Kotowski told reporters, “We know [the driver] was distracted by that door…the door was ajar, the door was open” and the driver, Han Dong of Rosemead, Calif. “indicated he was blinded by sun glare” before he lost control. The bus veered into the right shoulder and Han Dong overcorrected before losing control, crossing the median and overturning.

Vititoe is a veteran litigator and has handled major bus accidents lawsuits, although he said, “This is one of the worst I’ve ever seen. It’s unfortunate that our government hasn’t taken some action requiring mandatory seatbelts in buses. If, in fact, seatbelts had been used, I don’t think there would have been anywhere near the severity of injury that we see here.” Vititoe explained that “this is a case where negligence is involved. The driver being distracted could be a target of legal action, along with the bus manufacturer and the tour company.”

About Masry and Vititoe
The Masry and Vititoe firm defends the rights of the victims of wrongful death, negligence, and personal injuries in mass transit accidents such as airplane, bus, helicopter and train crashes. As in the Hinkley case on which the movie “Erin Brockovich” was based, the firm is known for pursuing the rights of individuals who have suffered injury. They represent thousands of injured persons throughout the country, from Hawaii to the East Coast, and internationally; and on their behalf have fearlessly combated and prevailed against some of the world’s largest corporations, including Fortune 500 companies, public utilities and oil companies.

For Details, Contact:

Masry and Vititoe Attorney Michael Killackey
Law Offices of Masry and Vititoe
5707 Corsa Ave., Second Floor
Westlake Village, CA 91362
Phone: 818-991-8900 or 800-561-5500
Fax: 818-991-6200
Website: http://masryvititoe.com
Email: new at masryvititoe.com

in the news
Attorney James Vititoe is representing the 17-families–seven killed and ten others injured –in the tour bus crash 20-miles north of the Hoover Dam.

Vititoe is still sorting out legal and financial issues for the tourists. The NTSB investigators anticipate that it may be a year before the final accident report is completed.

in the news
Los Angeles attorney Jim Vititoe who is representing the passengers and families of 17 people involved in a tour bus crash said he is concentrating on sorting out both legal and financial issues for the Chinese tourists, as hospital bills mount for those still hospitalized. 15 of the 17 passengers were thrown out the windows in the crash.

The license of DW Tour & Charter, of San Gabriel, Calif.,the charter bus company involved in the fatal crash was suspended Monday because its liability insurance has lapsed.

Wang Xinping, Deputy Consul General of The People’s Republic of China in San Francisco, and Zhu Cheng Rong, assistant chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration attended a media briefing on the crash Thursday at the Hilton Garden Inn.

For those individuals following the Tam case: “Scores of plaintiffs suing over Brazil’s deadliest airline crash have settled with TAM Airlines and the plane’s lessor, Pegasus Aviation IV Inc., and intend to direct their claims against the companies that manufactured the plane and its components.”

“To view more of the LAW 360 press release”

What: TAM Express flight 3054 (Airbus A320) en route from Porto Alegre to Sao Paulo
Where: Congonhas airport
When: 1850 (2150 GMT) on Tuesday
Who: 186 passengers and crew plus assorted on ground
Why: wet runway conditions; unfit unfinished runway; reverser (and other) issues on plane. These and other reasons are in contention.

Almost 200 Feared Dead in Air CrashOriginal article 2007/07/18 “