Bohrer and Lukeman Retained in Fatal General Aviation Fort Lauderdale Cessna Airplane Crash

The aviation accident attorneys at Bohrer & Lukeman have been retained to pursue a wrongful death claim in a general aviation accident on behalf of the estate of the owner pilot following the fatal crash of his Cessna 335 twin engine aircraft in Fort Lauderdale, FL on Saturday, December 1st, 2018. Both occupants of the 6-seat, non-pressurized general aviation airplane, tail number N79HP, were killed in this tragic accident as the airplane skidded across the parking lot and exploded upon impact with the building.

The flight departed at 1:23pm from runway 9 of the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) and was headed to Hilliard Airpark (01J) in Hillard, Florida. Shortly after takeoff, an occupant of the Cessna 335 informed the tower that their left engine had caught fire and that they needed to return.

The controller cleared the general aviation airplane for an emergency landing on any runway. One minute later at 1:26pm, however, the engulfed plane crashed into the parking lot of the warehouse located at 1001 NW 62nd St, located near the intersection with West Cypress Creek Road.

The pilot was identified by his widow as Eladio Marquez, 51, of Rahway, NJ. Marquez, who had been a pilot for 12 years and flight instructor for 10, was flying with a former student.

Marquez’s widow also asserted that Marquez had previously never been an involved in an aviation accident.

“He was an excellent pilot and excellent instructor,” she told NBC New York.

“It’s so difficult for me and for my little son. Everyone loved him and he loved everybody.”

CCTV camera footage obtained from nearby business H&J Electronics International Inc. revealed that the airplane then skidded into the adjacent warehouse in a trail of flames before exploding upon impact.

The fire all but consumed the entirety of the Cessna 335 airplane, leaving little to no remains of the wreckage.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating this devastating accident.

The NTSB has released a preliminary report, stating that “examination of the airplane revealed it was nearly consumed in the postaccident fire.” but that “the flaps and landing gear were retracted.” What remained of the wreckage was recovered for further examination.

According to CBS Miami, the NTSB is also investigating as to whether the plane had recently been worked on.

“We have interviewed personnel at the airport for fuel and who interacted with the pilot or the occupant in the aircraft in the day or two before the accident,” said NTSB spokesperson Tom Monville. “We have to go back and interview another mechanic who was involved in some sort of inspection.”

Attorney Abe Bohrer echoed those sentiments and stated “This is an aircraft that was coming off of an annual and a major overhaul by a local fixed base operator. We are particularly interested in determining whether the maintenance repairs were properly performed and if the aircraft was indeed airworthy. We will closely monitor all developments from the NTSB but will take further steps in making our assessment of liability.“

The airplane accident lawyers at Bohrer & Lukeman will continue to investigate the Fort Lauderdale Cessna 335 general aviation crash on behalf of its clients and will post all updates on their website www.flightinjury.com.

The New York-based law firm has extensive experience defending clients involved in general aviation and commercial aviation accidents and crashes resulting in injury and/or death. Abe Bohrer, the firm’s founder, has successfully litigated cases involved in airplane crashes and airplane accidents for over 25 years.