According to the Tennessean, the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate a Southwest plane crash that injured nine passengers during a taxi at the Nashville International Airport.
The incident occurred on December 15, when Southwest Flight 31, carrying 139 people slid off the runway, sustaining heavy damage. The FFA originally lead the investigation into the incident, however, with the NTSB taking over, the agency will now just be assisting the process.
Officials told the media that they have no working hypothesis as to why the plane slid off the runway and that they would be collecting evidence and statements to attempt to determine what happened. NTSB representatives noted that it could take up to a year to complete an investigation.
The flight was carrying 133 passengers and five crewmembers. It departed from Houston and landed in Nashville at about 5:20 p.m. when it went into a ditch. At least one of the plane’s emergency slides was deployed during the incident.
Nine people were transported to area hospitals for injury treatment. The plane was eventually removed from the ditch by a crane.
HOLDING AN AIRLINE LIABLE FOR A PLANE CRASH
Often, when people think about plane crashes, they think about catastrophic accidents, leading to total losses. But as this story shows, accidents can happen on runways as well, during arrivals and departures that can severely injure people.
If you have been injured in a plane crash or your loved one has been killed, it may be important for you to speak to an attorney about conducting an independent investigation into the accident, in addition to any federal one that is taking place.
Following a plane crash, an airline may try to contact you directly about a settlement. Any statements you make during this time could limit your ability to collect damages later, so it may be wise to have an attorney review your case.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9