Aviation

On Friday, May 16, 2025, many family members who lost 346 loved ones in two Boeing crashes of 737 MAX8 planes six years ago expressed disgust and shock via the internet with U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division lawyers who expressed their intent on dropping all criminal charges against the company. The lawyers for the victims’ families learned during this morning’s meeting that Boeing is withdrawing its previous commitment to plead guilty to defrauding the…

Leading aviation attorney Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, has been named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers list. Over the course of four decades, Bob Clifford has established a reputation as a staunch advocate for individuals facing serious injury or loss due to global catastrophic events. Under his leadership, Clifford Law Offices has become an internationally recognized plaintiff trial firm, focusing on complex aviation, transportation, personal injury,…

On March 10th, 2025, an air ambulance operated by Med Trans Corp crashed en route to Columbus, MS, killing the pilot and two medical crew on board.  The helicopter crashed in a muddy, hard-to-access, wooded area and was consumed by fire. According to the NTSB, this tragic crash was one of 70 aircraft crashes and reportable incidents in March 2025 – 12 of which resulted in fatal injuries to someone involved.  While this number is…

Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices, reacted vehemently to the aviation disaster on Thursday, April 10, 2025 when six people perished in a helicopter that fell from the sky in New York’s Hudson River, killing all six people on board. “Once again, innocent victims perished in a preventable and needless aviation disaster. The Federal Aviation Administration is not doing its job! The FAA needs to do more to protect the…

The law firms representing the families of Antoine Lewis and Darcy Belanger announce settlements in their civil litigation against Boeing Corporation, as their trial was set to begin Monday, April 7, in federal District Court in Chicago. Both Lewis and Belanger were among the 157 people who died in the 2019 crash of a 737 MAX8 aircraft in Ethiopia in March 2019 minutes after takeoff from the Addis Ababa airport in Ethiopia. The terms of…

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg is scheduled to testify on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, before the U. S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation regarding the status of the aircraft manufacturer following many years of its safety issues including the crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX8 jets that killed 346 people in the last six years. The hearing, chaired by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Safety First: Restoring Boeing’s Status as a Great American Manufacturer –…

While air travel is generally a very safe mode of transportation, unfortunately, crashes and other incidents occur nearly every day in the United States. In February 2025, 104 aviation accidents and incidents were reported to the National Transportation Safety Board.  Of these incidents, 13 were fatal, killing 28 people.   Another 36 people suffered injuries, though injury counts may not be up to date as many investigations are still underway and others, such as the Delta…

First Trial Set to Begin Monday, April 7, 2025, Against Boeing in 2019 Crash of 737 MAX8; Pre-Trial Hearing Set for April 2, 2025 The first trial is set to begin in federal District Court in Chicago on Monday, April 7, 2025, against Boeing in the 2019 crash of a 737 MAX8 aircraft in Ethiopia on behalf of two victims who were among the 157 killed six years ago. Federal District Court Judge Jorge Alonso…

Family members of victims of the January 29 midair collision of a commercial jet and military helicopter expressed further devastation and sorrow after the March 27, 2025, US Senate aviation subcommittee hearing that discussed the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Preliminary Report. Dailey Crafton, brother of Casey Crafton who was among the 67 people killed onboard the American Airlines jet that collided into an Army helicopter as the plane approached Reagan National Airport (DCA) in…