In the aftermath of an aviation accident, everything changes at once. Families are left searching for answers while facing corporations that move quickly to control the narrative. Decisions made in the earliest days can shape the outcome for years.
Our aviation lawyers have represented victims and their families in nearly every major commercial airline crash in the U.S. in the last 40 years, as well as numerous small plane crashes around the country.
At Clifford Law Offices, we focus on Righting the Heaviest Wrongs®. We represent individuals and families in complex aviation litigation, including commercial airline disasters, private aircraft crashes, airport incidents, maintenance failures, and other catastrophic events. These cases require immediate action, deep technical knowledge, and the ability to take on powerful corporate and governmental defendants.
Among its high-profile cases, Clifford Law Offices represented the families of over 70 victims in the 2019 crash of a Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Ethiopia, with founder and senior partner Robert A. Clifford serving as lead counsel in the high-profile federal litigation in Chicago. Clifford’s decades of work reflect the firm’s capacity to manage high-profile, global aviation litigation at the highest level.
In 2025, Clifford Law Offices was the first to file claims against American Airlines, the parent company of American Eagle, PSA Airlines, and the U.S. government in the midair crash between an American Airlines regional jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter above the Potomac River that killed sixty-seven. The federal claim alleges negligence in operations and training, as well as in the FAA’s role in knowingly allowing dangerous conditions at DCA. The firm represents multiple families who lost loved ones that night.
These cases require talent, resources, and determination equal to the weight of the injustice. When an aviation accident causes serious harm, early legal guidance can shape everything that follows. Contact us to discuss your circumstances.
Aviation Litigation Backed By Decades of Experience
At Clifford Law Offices, our aviation litigation team has spent decades handling some of the most complex and high-profile aircraft disaster cases worldwide. We are trusted to lead when the stakes are highest, and the path forward seems to hold more questions than answers.
Our work includes major international and domestic aviation disasters, such as the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 crash at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, United Airlines Flight 585 in Colorado Springs, and US Air Flight 427 en route to Pittsburgh. Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner, served as co-lead counsel in litigation arising from United Airlines Flight 232, one of the most significant aviation disasters in U.S. history. The DC-10 crash landing in Sioux City resulted in 144 fatalities and extensive injuries, shaping modern aviation litigation and safety standards.
This depth of experience is not incidental. It reflects a deliberate focus on the most serious cases, where the consequences are profound, and the opposition is formidable. If you are evaluating legal action after an aviation disaster, the firm you choose will influence every stage of the case. Early decisions matter. So does the ability to carry a case through complex investigations, litigation, and trial.
A History of Successful Aviation Accident Settlements
Results matter in aviation litigation. At Clifford Law Offices, our record reflects decades of pursuing accountability in catastrophic aviation cases across the United States and internationally. We represent passengers, crew members, and families in litigation involving commercial airlines, private aircraft, corporate jets, and helicopters.
Our work is focused on righting the heaviest wrongs, and that commitment is reflected in the outcomes we have achieved:
- $110 million settlement arising from the American Eagle Flight 4184 disaster
- $43 million recovery for passengers injured in the United Airlines Flight 232 crash
- $40 million recovery for seven families who lost loved ones in Alaska Air Flight 261 crash
- $10 million settlement for the family of a victim killed in a fatal helicopter crash between New York and New Jersey
These outcomes result from a sustained litigation strategy, technical depth, and the financial capacity to take cases through investigation, discovery, and trial. When the stakes are this high, experience alone is not enough. The firm you choose must be prepared to match the scale of the case at every level.
We have represented victims and families across numerous air disasters, including individuals who lost their lives in the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash in Ethiopia, and we are currently representing the families of those killed in the 2025 midair collision of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle regional jet, and the 2025 crash of a UPS cargo jet in Louisville, Kentucky.
View the firm’s Aviation Brochure and Aviation Case Studies to learn more about the aviation litigation work of Robert Clifford and Clifford Law Offices.
The Answers You Need. The Justice You Deserve.
In the aftermath of an aviation disaster, questions come quickly, and answers are often difficult to obtain. At Clifford Law Offices, we bring clarity to complex situations and help families understand what comes next.
Our team guides clients through critical legal and investigative issues, including:
- Whether surviving family members can pursue a wrongful death claim after the loss of a loved one.
- What caused the crash, and how the failure occurred.
- Who may be held legally responsible, including airlines, manufacturers, maintenance providers, or government entities.
- Whether claims can be brought against an airline, aircraft owner, or other responsible parties.
- The legal options for survivors facing life-altering injuries or long-term disability
- How international laws and jurisdictions may affect the case.
We represent both survivors and families who have suffered loss, protecting their interests at every stage, from early investigation through trial. This includes preserving evidence, coordinating with aviation and engineering specialists, and preparing cases that can withstand the most aggressive defense strategies.
Our purpose is to lift your heaviest burden. That commitment guides how we approach every case and every client.
Why Your Choice of Aviation Lawyer Matters
Aviation cases are defined by complexity, scale, and scrutiny. Evidence is often fragmented across multiple jurisdictions. Investigations involve federal agencies, international authorities, manufacturers, and carriers, each with its own interests and legal strategies. From the outset, these cases demand a level of coordination, technical understanding, and legal precision that few firms are equipped to provide.
Your choice of counsel will shape how the case is built, challenged, and ultimately resolved.
At Clifford Law Offices, we have played a leading role in nearly every major commercial airline disaster in the United States, as well as numerous global aviation cases. Our vast experience informs our approach to every stage of litigation, from early investigation and evidence preservation to settlement negotiations and trial strategy.
Our work is grounded in:
- Talent: Attorneys with deep experience in aviation litigation, capable of managing highly technical and high-profile cases.
- Resources: The financial strength and infrastructure required to investigate, litigate, and sustain complex claims against well-funded defendants.
- Determination: A willingness to challenge entrenched interests and pursue justice, even when it requires changing the legal landscape.
Across decades of personal injury and wrongful death litigation, our firm has recovered more than $5 billion in settlements and verdicts. We have been involved in a substantial share of major aviation cases in the United States, with recoveries that include nine-figure results in single-event litigation. Financial recovery cannot reverse loss. It can, however, impose accountability, support families facing long-term consequences, and reflect the profound impact of what was taken.
Causes of Aviation Accidents
According to the National Transportation Safety Board aviation summaries for 2024, there were 1,201 total aviation accidents, including 188 fatal crashes. The vast majority occurred in general aviation, which accounted for 1,126 accidents, while commercial operations, including major airlines and commuter carriers, accounted for 75 accidents combined.
While overall accident rates have shown improvement over time, the causes of aviation accidents remain complex. Identifying what went wrong requires more than surface-level analysis. It demands a detailed investigation into the technical, operational, and human factors involved.
The most common causes of aviation accidents include:
- Human/pilot error. Humans can cause aviation accidents through mistakes such as failure to follow proper take-off/landing procedures, premature descent, excessive landing speed, missed runways, failure to refuel, navigation mistakes, and making dangerous miscalculations.
- Equipment malfunction. Many aviation accidents stem from equipment and mechanical failures, such as engine failure or structural design flaw. A part manufacturer could be liable if the equipment had a defect, or the owner of the plane could be liable if the
malfunction arose due to negligent maintenance. - Bad weather. Sometimes, what the law refers to as Acts of God causes aviation accidents. While no one can be accountable for causing bad weather, a pilot or aviation company could be liable for negligently failing to check the weather, underestimating the dangers, or failing to obey proper procedures in a storm or fog if these mistakes caused the injury.
Other common causes include sabotage (e.g., terrorist activity), ground crew error, passenger negligence or intent to harm, improper cargo loading, runway obstructions, and in-flight fires. Regardless of the aircraft or operation involved, these cases require immediate, focused investigation.
At Clifford Law Offices, our Chicago-based attorneys work alongside investigators, regulatory authorities, and industry specialists to determine precisely what caused the accident and who is responsible. This includes analyzing flight data, maintenance records, operational procedures, and human factors to establish where failures occurred.
Our role is to build a case that withstands scrutiny at every level, from insurance negotiations to trial. That means developing clear, evidence-based arguments that demonstrate how negligence, whether by an airline, manufacturer, maintenance provider, or other party, led to serious injury or loss of life.
Personal Injury Claims for Aviation Accidents
Victims in a variety of accident types have the right to file civil claims against the at-fault party/parties in pursuit of financial damages. Filing a personal injury claim for an aviation accident could result in reimbursement for all past and future accident-related expenses, such as:
- Medical costs. Medical care for yourself or a loved one who died, including any future medical care for long-term or permanent injury, should be a part of an aviation accident settlement or award.
- Lost wages. If you missed work while recovering from your aviation accident, list your lost income as part of the compensation. If the accident caused a permanent disability, this may include the loss of future earning potential.
- Pain and suffering. The civil justice system enables you to seek damages for physical pain and suffering, emotional toll, mental anguish, and other intangible impacts from an aviation accident.
- Wrongful death damages. If you lost a loved one in a plane crash or other aviation disaster, surviving family members may be eligible for damages such as loss of consortium, funeral/burial expenses, and lost inheritance.
Contact Clifford Law Offices to discuss your situation. Our team will initiate a thorough investigation, secure key evidence, and develop a personal injury or wrongful death claim aimed at lifting your legal and financial burdens while pursuing full accountability on your behalf.
Legal Considerations in Aviation Accident Claims
Aviation accident claims are governed by a complex intersection of domestic and international law. For incidents involving international air travel, the Montreal Convention establishes the primary liability framework. After the Convention passed in 1999, aviation accident law provides a two-tier system in which airlines are strictly liable for proven damages up to a defined threshold, while additional compensation may be pursued upon a showing of fault. This structure was designed to streamline claims and shorten the litigation timeline for victims.
Aviation accidents and incidents often involve multiple responsible parties, each with distinct legal obligations. Depending on the circumstances, liability may extend to aircraft manufacturers, component suppliers, maintenance providers, operators, and other entities involved in the aircraft’s design, operation, or oversight.
These cases frequently require coordination across jurisdictions, as well as the application of federal regulations, international treaties, and state law claims. Determining fault is rarely straightforward. It requires detailed investigation, technical analysis, and a clear understanding of how liability is apportioned among multiple defendants.
Identifying every responsible party is critical. It not only shapes the legal strategy but also determines the full scope of damages available.
Contact Our Chicago-Based Attorneys Today
At Clifford Law Offices, we focus on matters involving the most serious harm and the highest stakes. If you are evaluating legal action after an aviation accident, our team is available to review the unique circumstances of your situation and provide a clear assessment of your options.
Consultations are offered without upfront cost, and fees are contingent on recovery. Call (312) 899-9090 to speak with our Chicago-based aviation attorneys.
