Examples of our Work

Aviation
We recently prevailed on a case involving a product liability claim against a helicopter manufacturer. We filed a motion for summary judgment, where we proved that the tail rotor on the new helicopter should not have contacted the tail in flight, which caused the helicopter to crash. The trial judge agreed, and held that this was a design defect in violation of the Federal Aviation Regulations. As a result, the manufacturer was negligent as a matter of law. In other words, the manufacturer was held to be entirely at fault. The only issue remaining for trial was damages. Up against the wall, the defendant offered a favorable settlement for our clients, the widow and family of the deceased pilot.

On January 31, 2000 Alaska Airlines Flight 261, flying from Puerto Villarta, Mexico to Seattle via San Francisco crashed into the Pacific Ocean northwest of Los Angeles. Members of Hedrick Smith PLLC represented the families and estates of numerous passengers. After agreeing not to contest liability, and after the trial court determined that maritime law applied (which was most favorable to our clients), we were able to settle all of our cases before trial.

In 2002 two pilots were flying a large helicopter over mountainous wooded terrain performing helicopter logging operations. The helicopter crashed, killing one pilot and seriously injuring the other. Even though the NTSB was unable to establish that mechanical failure caused the accident, our own investigation and team of aviation experts found otherwise. The claims against the numerous defendants were settled shortly before trial.

Members of the firm represented the Turkish flight and cabin crew of a Birgen Air Boeing 757 that crashed shortly after a night take-off from the Dominican Republic. The NTSB and the Dominican authorities determined that an obstruction in the pitot system of the aircraft caused erroneous indications in the Flight Management System resulting in both an overspeed warning siren and a stall "stick shaker" to occur at the same time. After extensive discovery and litigation, the claims of the crew were settled.

Due to our location in the Pacific Northwest, we have extensive experience in helicopter logging accidents . In one such accident that claimed the life of a young helicopter pilot, the firm was able to show that the subject helicopter was particularly susceptible to fatigue failure of the vertical fin spar when engaged in the repeated heavy lift environment of helicopter logging. This vulnerability led to the catastrophic loss of the vertical fin of the helicopter while carrying a load of logs-resulting in the death of the pilot. We were successful in obtaining a settlement after extensive litigation and discovery.

Members have also been involved in numerous wire strike cases involving both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. In one case we represented the families of two fish and wildlife biologists who were killed when the aircraft in which they passengers on a low level flight spotting mission for the government struck unmarked power transmission lines stretched across the Columbia River. The wires were part of a hydroelectric project that was originally located in the "no-fly" restricted airspace of the nuclear power facility. When the airspace was opened to aircraft several decades ago, the local public utilities department failed to recognize the danger posed by the unmarked wires to aircraft flying along the river. After extensive discovery and litigation the claims of the families of the biologists were settled.

Members successfully resolved claims against the federal government in a wire strike case involving an injured pilot of a helicopter which struck a wire stretched across a local river which was part of a United States Geological Survey gauging station. Despite the fact that the wire was only 15 feet above the river, we were able to show that the wire and associated gauging station was purposefully designed to "blend in" to the environment making detection of the wire by the pilot virtually impossible. Further discovery revealed a number of other wire strikes of similar gauging stations across the country, many of which involved the Department of Interior's own aircraft. Following discovery the government settled the case with the pilot and his passengers.