For more than four decades, Raynes McCarty has been called upon to represent clients in the United States and around the world who were injured in airplane and aircraft crashes. For each client's case we assemble a team that draws on our wealth of experience, including Chuck Hehmeyer providing his practical perspective as a licensed pilot, Jerry McHugh mastering the legal complexities of multi-district and international litigation, Marty Brigham analyzing product failure, and Stephen Raynes addressing the legal issues of regulatory compliance and preemption.

We at Raynes McCarty have guided clients and their cases through the complex maze of aviation law that include questions such as: where can the claim be brought?; who can be held accountable?, what country's laws for damages apply?; who will tax my recovery? Raynes McCarty lawyers have been called upon by families who have lost loved ones in private planes, on commuter runs, and on overseas flights, including in Africa, the Indian Ocean, Spain, Scotland, and Canada. With a number of our attorneys being Fellows of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, we have access to an entire network of some of the most respected trial lawyers around the world. A few examples of our aviation cases are:

• Prompt Multi-Million Dollar Settlement for South African airline crash in Indian Ocean When South African Airways flight 295 was lost in the Indian Ocean, the widow of the sole American victim of the accident turned to a team of lawyers which included Raynes partner Jerry McHugh. Preliminary investigation revealed that fire might have been the cause of the crash and that the plane had an unusual design which allowed both passengers and cargo on the same deck. In response to counsel's initial inquiries, rather than face discovery in American courts, the companies involved in building and operating the plane immediately entered into negotiations, resulting in a settlement that assured financial security for the family.
• Confidential Multimillion Dollar Recovery for Kenyan Air Crash Four Pennsylvanians on a trip to Kenya, Africa, died when the aircraft they were traveling in failed to climb over a mountain range and crashed, killing all on board. To secure a needed financial recovery for the families, jurisdiction over the foreign travel companies needed to be established in the United States. When American law did not appear to provide a remedy for the families, the applicable Kenyan law was researched in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. which supported bringing the cases in America. Once U.S. jurisdiction was established, one of our attorneys set about proving our clients' case in a Philadelphia courtroom under the principles of Kenyan law. A confidential multi-million dollar settlement was then reached.
• Confidential Settlement for Spanish Airlines Crash A Pennsylvania woman perished in a crash of a Spantex Airline plane as it took off from Malaga, Spain. The family came to Raynes McCarty and asked that they investigate the cause of the crash and secure fair compensation. We filed suit in Pennsylvania. When Spantex lost its battle to avoid the U.S. court system, the case was resolved for the family.
• Confidential settlement for commuter airlines crash When Henson Airlines Flight 1517, a Beechcraft 99 commuter flight, struck a mountain in Virginia while attempting to land, the widow of one of the passengers retained Raynes partner Jerry McHugh to protect her family. After he filed suit in New Jersey federal court, Jerry discovery that the pilot had followed improper Instrument Flight Rule procedures and the plane lacked necessary radio equipment. Faced with proof that the crash was caused by pilot error, the airline agreed to a confidential settlement compensating the family for its losses.
• Confidential settlement for Paris Airport Disaster A talented young doctor flying home to New York after her wedding was killed in the collapse of Terminal 2E of the Charles de Gaulle Airport in France. Her widower, living in New York, believed he should not have to cross the Atlantic to vindicate his wife's memory, and sought relief in American Courts.  Jerry McHugh and Steve Raynes coordinated a sophisticated legal strategy under the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act and the Warsaw Convention, demonstrating that the defendants generated substantial revenues from business activities in the Unites States.  Arthur Raynes and Marty Brigham produced a compelling settlement video, contrasting the joy and hope of the wedding with the despair and pain caused by this tragic death.  Faced with the likelihood that American courts would sustain jurisdiction, the defendants settled the case through mediation ordered by the court.
• Airlines' pilot error leads to crash After Debby's parents were told that their daughter was among the victims of Northwest Flight 255, which crashed shortly after taking off from MBS International in Michigan, they turned to Raynes attorney Jerry McHugh to guide them. The wing of the aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80, hit a light pole near the airport, and it seemed inconceivable that pilots could be so low to the ground unless there was an equipment failure. Building upon the investigation of the National Transportation Safety Board, McHugh and his team concluded that the pilots, in a chain of errors, failed to set the plane's wing flaps and slats for takeoff and failed to follow a required taxi checklist that would have uncovered the error. A very favorable settlement for the family was soon secured.
• Private pilot's inexperience causes fatal crash Joe was on a business trip in Western Pennsylvania when his client offered to fly him home in a small propeller aircraft manufactured by Piper. The client had only recently received an instrument rating to fly, but still set out in extremely bad weather. Tragically, the plane failed to gain altitude and struck trees just a mile from the airport, killing all on board. Raynes partners Jerry McHugh and Martina McLaughlin conducted a comprehensive investigation into the pilot's experience and training, and filed suit in Pittsburgh federal court. With trial approaching, the defendant's estate offered a settlement that recognized what Joe's loss meant to his family.

A number of our attorneys are Fellows of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, which gives us access to a worldwide network of the most respected trial lawyers.