Senator Chuck Schumer Arranges NY Safety Seminar Following NTSB Report

The aviation accident lawyers at Bohrer & Lukeman are closely following a small plane safety seminar arranged by N.Y. Senator Charles Schumer. Following a series of recent crashes on Long Island extending into 2017, the senator has asked the National Transportation Safety Board to host this seminar in an effort to prevent future tragedies. This will be the first aviation safety seminar of its kind on Long Island.

Earlier this year, two small plane crashes prompted Schumer to ask the NTSB to investigate the causes behind the alarming rate of aviation accidents in the New York area. On February 19th, a single-engine Piper PA-28 Cherokee departing Republic Airport in Long Island went down in a residential area of Bayonne, N.J. On February 26th, a Ryan Navion F vintage single-engine plane crashed in Westhampton Beach, fatally injuring 2 and seriously injuring another.

The NSTB found that of the 156 airplane crashes in New York since 2012, one-third were due to loss of control. 10 of these crashes occurred last year on Long Island.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and that’s why it’s good news that the National Transportation Safety Board is heeding the call and taking smart steps to address small plane crashes and pilot safety on Long Island,” said Senator Schumer.

“The aviation safety seminar that will land on Long Island will help pilots from across the region prevent a leading cause of aviation accidents, loss of control, and will touch on issues of upkeep and other safety topics that have contributed to Long Island crashes.”

The NTSB has seen safety improvements following similar seminars across the country. According to the government agency, preventing in-flight loss of control is on the “Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements” among general and commercial pilots.

A spokesperson for Senator Schumer stated that pilots who signed up for the seminar would be eligible for an insurance discount.

The airplane accident attorneys at Bohrer & Lukeman will continue to monitor the upcoming NTSB Long Island safety seminar and will update its website with any new information as it is released. Should the seminar occur, we intend to have a representative present to monitor the event and we will report on the outcome.

Aviation lawyer Abe Bohrer commented on Schumer’s recent announcement. “It is about time that high ranking government officials took a higher profile role in general aviation safety We talk about how safe aviation is because thankfully, we have not had a major airline crash in the United States in many years. But general aviation accidents and resulting serious injuries and deaths are occurring at an alarming rate and they put innocent bystanders on the ground, in their cars and in their homes, at great risk. We need to shift from talk to action and do more to prevent ill equipped pilots from flying, negligent aviation maintenance facilities from continuing to operate and greater resources of recovery and ease of access to insurance proceeds for innocent victims.”

With summer approaching, we have even more private airplanes and helicopters flying to the airports on Long Island. There are airports in Montauk, East Hampton, West Hampton and Farmingdale. Additionally, we are seeing in increase in private and semi-private flight operations ferrying passengers to and from the Hamptons. We are going to see more aviation accidents and crashes if greater safety measures are not implemented.

Bohrer & Lukeman is a New York-based aviation accident law firm with over 25 years of experience representing clients that have been injured or killed in general aviation and commercial airline accidents. The firm’s found, Abe Bohrer, has successfully represented clients both domestically and internationally.

Read the full press release from Senator Schumer here:

https://goo.gl/pKquP9