Aircraft Metal Fatigue Product Liability
When it comes to material failures that lead to plane crashes or other accidents and the serious, devastating injuries that result, there are lots of questions. The answers available can be confusing, especially because the legal roadmap to recovery is often at the federal and international level. There are regulations and roadblocks ahead to get compensation for what you experienced. However, we can help you get justice.
At Nolan Law Group, we are dedicated product liability attorneys who have extensive experience in aviation accident claims. We’ve pursued all of the major parts manufacturers and airlines to recover compensation for our clients. Our experience in this area is respected across the country by clients and also other attorneys who turn to us for guidance and support in these problems. Metal fatigue can lead to terrifying experiences, and you deserve to get the help you need to recover compensation.
What Causes Metal Fatigue In Airplanes?
Nearly everyone has had an experience where metal breaks, wears out or simply cannot withstand the pressures it’s under. For airplanes made with some of the most advanced materials on the planet, those basic scenarios can still apply. Often, crashes or plane failures that are caused by metal fatigue can trace their source back to such reasons as:
- Repeated pressurization and metal fatigue: Thousands of cabin pressurization-depressurization cycles create invisible micro-cracks around rivets, door plugs and wing spars, eventually leading to catastrophic structural failure.
- Composite skin delamination and hidden core decay: Modern carbon-fiber composite materials, where internal layer separation (delamination) or debonding occurs without showing surface damage, weakening structural load capacity.
- Explosive decompression and door plug blowouts: Rapid cabin depressurization caused by structural skin separations, improper cold-bonding or latch assembly failures.
- Factory quality control escapes: Manufacturing defects – such as improper rivet installation, chemical milling mistakes and unapproved structural modifications – that bypass safety checks before delivery.
We target major airframe builders (e.g., Boeing, Airbus) and fuselage/wing sub-assembly suppliers. These companies reap massive profits and have extremely well-resourced legal teams who work tirelessly to minimize their liability and exposure. However, our years of work in this arena have allowed us to build strategies that keep us on a level playing field.
When these companies seek to move venues to more “friendly” countries, we file countering arguments with the federal courts to keep it in the U.S. We argue that, given the way these planes are built and the way the international supply chains are tangled, we should argue this case in the US.
We Work With You To Get Results
There are always high-profile examples of metal fatigue accidents and these put the quality control centers of major part producers under a microscope. We leverage our experience in this practice with our close relationship with forensic investigators to produce evidence to pursue accountability.
The fact is that most of the aviation industry will receive reports from safety agencies like the NTSB that will document all of the physical reasons for a crash. But that’s as far as it will go. We take on the responsibility of holding negligent companies accountable for the injuries and pain their cost-cutting creates. We work with our clients and our partners to build cases with the strength to do that.
Dedication To Your Recovery Is Our Promise
We make a promise to clients that we will dedicate our work to helping them get the recovery they need. Our goal is always to make the best of what is ahead for our clients. Reach out today to learn more by calling us at 312-820-2071 or by sending an email using this online form.