Oakland aviation attorney

Two Small Plane Crashes in San Diego County Lead to Fatalities

March 23, 2018 | Gregory J. Brod

In February, two separate personal plane crashes led to three fatalities. The most recent crash occurred on February 21. Dr. John Serocki, 61, embarked on a solo flight in a single-engine Cirrus SR22T from Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. His plane crashed shortly after takeoff, and he passed away at the scene. No one on the ground was injured. It was not immediately clear why the crash occurred, though it is possible that the engine failed.

Earlier that month, on February 6, a single-engine Cessna 182T crashed after taking off from Gillespie Field. The plane, carrying John and Cherril Longhurst, 70 and 71, respectively, crashed about one mile from the runway.

Both crashes are being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). If a plane crash investigation determines that the cause of the crash was something other than pilot error, then the surviving family members may have a legal claim against the responsible party.

California Professor and Philanthropist Dies in Small Plane Crash

July 28, 2017 | Gregory J. Brod

William Sachs Goldman, 38, passed away in July after his small personal aircraft crashed for an unknown reason. Goldman was an assistant professor of international studies at the University of San Francisco. He was the son of Richard Goldman and Susan Sachs Goldman, and the grandson of well-known philanthropists Richard N. and Rhoda Goldman, who established the Goldman Environmental Prize. As a member of a philanthropic family, Goldman and his wife were on numerous institution’s boards.

Small Plane Accident to be Investigated

Goldman was one of four passengers in the single-engine Cirrus SR22 plane, which crashed in a field in Schell Vista, southwest of Sonoma Skypark Airport. Goldman’s two minor children, George and Marie, and their caretaker, Valeria Anselmi, were the other passengers. They were all taken to local hospitals to treat their serious injuries.

Oakland/San Francisco Airplane Accident Attorney Looks at Ground Aviation Accidents

September 4, 2015 | Gregory J. Brod

When people think of an aviation accident (at least people who didn’t see this post’s title or read/experience the news story that inspired it!), a midair disaster often comes to mind. However, a surprising number of plane crashes occur on the ground. Whether it is a collision between two planes near the terminal, a plane hitting an object while taxiing, or a runway incident as frightening as a failed landing attempt, our Oakland airplane accident attorney is ready to help people injured in ground aviation accidents.

Sideswipe-Style Crash Between Airplanes Damages Wing on 737

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that two aircraft collided on Sunday night at Oakland International Airport. A Southwest Airlines flight was leaving the gate in preparation for a short flight to Orange County when the end of its wing brushed against the wing of another Southwest plane. The sideswipe-style collision damaged the top of a wing tip on the departing plane, a Boeing 737. A passenger told reporters that travelers felt a sudden jolt, one that most passengers seemed to dismiss. He says he noticed the wing tip cracked and fell off while the plane continued to move, leading him to notify a flight attendant out of concern that the damage had not been noticed.