Aviation Law

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has doubled down on a threat to “pull” the certificates of pilots found to blame for causing aircraft incidents. In the aftermath of a tight runway incursion at Chicago Midway last week, Duffy posted on X that it is “imperative that pilots follow the instructions of air traffic controllers. If they […]

A man who was flying a helicopter and allegedly abandoned his three injured passengers after it crashed has been arrested 16 months after the incident. Vincent Matthew Porteous, 38, of Enderby, British Columbia, is facing a list of criminal charges relating to the crash, which occurred in a river about 20 miles east of Enderby […]

The Los Angeles Times is reporting a drone operator whose aircraft damaged the wing of water bomber working the Palisades fire in Los Angeles last month has offered to pay a five-figure repair bill and do 150 hours of community to avoid jail for the mishap. Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, of Culver City, offered to […]

The four partners in a Cessna 172 being sued over the lead emissions the plane emits have launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal costs and expenses expected to top $10,000. The partnership is run through Flyboys LLC and it is that entity that’s being sued by the occupant of an apartment in the pattern […]

An Arlington, Washington, man has filed a lawsuit against multiple aircraft operators at the local airport, alleging their planes are “spewing lead” over his home and those of his neighbors. Scott Iceberg is asking Snohomish County Superior Court to force the defendants to stop using leaded fuel and to stop flying over his apartment because […]

The family of Thai billionaire Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is suing helicopter manufacturer Leonardo for $2.6 billion. The family alleges “multiple failures in Leonardo’s design process” led to the October 2018 crash of an AW169 shortly after takeoff from the soccer stadium in Leicester, England. All on board, including Srivaddhanaprabha, who was the chairman of the […]

Influential libertarian think tank the Reason Foundation has written an open letter to the incoming leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency to make air traffic control a “user-funded utility.” The foundation, which is credited with coining the term “privatization,” says most of the rest of the world (83 countries) has already distanced ATC from […]

Crew aboard a Volaris Airlines A320 thwarted an apparent hijacking and then continued to their destination of Tijuana on Sunday. The Guardian reported the flight originated in León, Guanajuato, a notorious drug cartel base, and a passenger, identified only as Mario, tried to divert it to the U.S., which is steps away from Tijuana. He […]

The Los Angeles City Council did an about face last week and approved a 25-year lease extension for a helicopter company at Van Nuys Airport. Last March, the council bowed to public pressure and voted against giving Bonseph Helinet the extension, which was tied to a planned $25 million redevelopment of its existing facilities at […]

A well-known former Alaska air charter operator has been found guilty of two federal charges following what has been termed a near-collision in 2023. According to the Anchorage Daily News, William Marsan, 57, of Palmer, a self-described “free citizen,” was convicted of flying without a certificate and operating an unregistered aircraft by a jury. The […]