In what what promises to be one of the largest ever aviation compensation claims, 76 disgruntled Qantas passengers are suing Airbus and a US aviation parts manufacturer after their plane dramatically plunged hundreds of metres in the middle of a flight.
In October 2008, flight QF72 unexpectedly nose-dived twice while en route from Singapore to Perth. The pilots found themselves powerless to control the plane as it plummeted towards the ocean, and the incident resulted in some serious injuries to passengers including broken bones and spinal damage.
The law suit - which is going through the US courts - has been taken on by US aviation claims specialist Floyd Wisner whose website boasts that he has successfully represented clients in "in virtually every air crash over the last decade". Wisner believes that the incident was caused by a design defect in the flight data boxes and the flight control computers, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald. ''I don't think Qantas is the responsible party here. I know that the pilots didn't do anything wrong'', he maintains.
Wisner's firmis drumming up business has set up a website to help affected passengers seek compensation.
According to the site, "Qantas has been settling these cases for a fraction of what passengers should be entitled to. Passengers that agree to settle this way are signing away their rights to prosecute a civil case against the manufacturers’ of the air data inertial reference unit (ADIRU)".
With new claimants, including the Qantas pilot, signing up to the multi-million dollar law suit all the time Wisner is likely to be a very busy man.
Tip Off ROF
In October 2008, flight QF72 unexpectedly nose-dived twice while en route from Singapore to Perth. The pilots found themselves powerless to control the plane as it plummeted towards the ocean, and the incident resulted in some serious injuries to passengers including broken bones and spinal damage.
The law suit - which is going through the US courts - has been taken on by US aviation claims specialist Floyd Wisner whose website boasts that he has successfully represented clients in "in virtually every air crash over the last decade". Wisner believes that the incident was caused by a design defect in the flight data boxes and the flight control computers, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald. ''I don't think Qantas is the responsible party here. I know that the pilots didn't do anything wrong'', he maintains.
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Floyd Wissner, a lawyer you hope never to instruct |
Wisner's firm
According to the site, "Qantas has been settling these cases for a fraction of what passengers should be entitled to. Passengers that agree to settle this way are signing away their rights to prosecute a civil case against the manufacturers’ of the air data inertial reference unit (ADIRU)".
With new claimants, including the Qantas pilot, signing up to the multi-million dollar law suit all the time Wisner is likely to be a very busy man.