Recent Posts in Aviation Accidents Category

A 38-year-old Atlanta man recently lost his life in perhaps one of the freakiest of all freak accidents in some time.

Robert Gary Jones was killed when he was struck by a single-engine plane making an emergency landing. Jones was jogging on the beach in Hilton Head Island in South Carolina when the accident occurred. He was in the area on a business trip.

Officials say that Jones neither heard nor saw that plane landing directly in his path, supposedly because he was wearing headphones and listening to his iPod. While it may seem unbelievable that anyone that close to an aircraft wouldn’t hear it coming, aviation expert Mary Schiavo says it’s entirely possible in this situation that Jones simply didn’t hear the plane coming. Schiavo, a former inspector general for the National Transportation Safety Board, said there was no noise, “so the jogger, with his ear buds in and the plane without an engine, you’re basically a stealth aircraft.”

Ed Allen, coroner for Beaufort County, said the plane had lost one of its propeller and was gliding towards the ground when it hit and instantly killed Jones. Ironically, both the pilot and his only passenger were able to walk away from the crash.

At this time, a spokesperson for the National Traffic Safety Board said a cause for the crash has not been determined, but the pilot claims the small aircraft began leaking oil at about 13,000 feet. The pilot also allegedly told authorities that oil on the windshield was obstructing his view and that a propeller had flown off, which forced him to make an emergency landing.

The plane is now being transported to Virginia, where investigators plan to inspect it. If it is discovered there was a defect with the plane that caused it to spill oil or lose a propeller, Jones’ family would have grounds to file a product liability lawsuit in pursuit of wrongful death benefits.

If you or a loved one has recently suffered an injury and are interested in learning more about filing a product liability claim, you should take a moment to speak with a knowledgeable and experienced personal injury attorney.