Vicksburg-area plane crash seriously injures pilot, 13-year-old passenger
A pilot and a 13-year-old passenger were seriously injured in a small plane crash Wednesday evening.
Michigan State Police said the plane came down in Kalamazoo County’s Vicksburg area around 7 p.m. near the 5700 block of East W Avenue. A 55-year-old man was flying the aircraft, and the boy was his passenger.
Both were transported by ambulance to Beacon and Bronson hospitals, according to MSP.
Federal Aviation Administration personnel responded to the scene, and federal authorities have taken over the investigation. The cause was not immediately known.
In its initial statement Wednesday night, MSP asked people to avoid the area until emergency responders secured the scene.
Legal context: How do aviation investigations affect a civil injury claim?
They are separate processes. The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigative process focuses on determining an accident’s probable cause and issuing safety recommendations. The FAA’s accident investigation office participates in aviation-safety work and may investigate regulatory compliance or other safety concerns. Neither process, by itself, decides who owes civil damages.
Federal law also limits how an NTSB report may be used. Under 49 U.S.C. § 1154(b), a Board accident report may not be admitted or used in a civil damages action arising from the matter described. A civil claim may therefore require an independent review of maintenance records, flight information, witness accounts and the aircraft itself. Michigan Legal Center’s overview of personal injury case types in Michigan explains why serious injury and product-related claims can involve different defendants, insurance questions and deadlines.
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If you or a family member was hurt in an aircraft crash, contact Michigan Legal Center to ask whether the Law Offices of Christopher J. Trainor & Associates can help.
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