Top New York Aviation Accident Lawyer

Were you or a loved one injured or killed in an airplane accident? Contact our NYC Airplane Accident Attorneys at 212-943-1090.

Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is not just another personal injury firm handling aviation cases—we helped define this area of law. The firm’s founder, Harry A. Gair, was one of the first attorneys in the United States to litigate commercial aviation disasters and is widely recognized as a pioneer of aviation accident law. He played a central role in shaping how victims of plane crashes are compensated and how airlines and manufacturers are held accountable in court.

Our legacy began with landmark cases like the 1959 American Airlines crash in the East River and continues through high-stakes litigation involving international airline disasters, private aircraft crashes, and helicopter accidents. From the beginning, our firm has handled these cases not as mass claims, but with the individualized attention each client deserves.

Our New York aviation accident attorneys navigate the complexities of aviation law, including federal regulations and international treaties, to help clients seek compensation for their losses. They handle not only cases cases involving commercial airlines departing and landing from all major airports such as Laguardia, JKF and Newark but also private planes, and helicopters including:

• Commercial airline accident litigation
• Private plane crashes litigation
• Helicopter crashes litigation including sightseeing and medical evacuation (medevac) 
• Corporate charter aircraft incidents litigation
• Crashes involving international or cross-border air travel litigation

When an airline disaster occurs, victims and their families need the representation of a committed, resourceful law firm to help them accomplish their goals. Our vast experience distinguishes our firm from other aviation firms. The Firm's founder, Harry A. Gair, was universally recognized as the pioneer in the field of aviation crash litigation, and handled such cases as the American Airlines crash in the East River in February, 1959 and Jane Froman and Gypsy Lee Markoff's case against Pan American airlines.

Following the Pan American trial, the trial Judge, Aron Steuer, the son of the great trial lawyer Max Steuer, wrote Harry Gair the following letter:

My Dear Mr. Gair, In the course of over twenty-three years on the bench I have had occasion to listen to some thousands of summations. I have never heard one which was the equal of your effort made yesterday...in the action of Froman and Markoff against Pan American Lines. For cogency of argument, selection of material from the record, manner of presentation and delivery, in fact from every standpoint it was masterly. Do not infer from this that I find that any part of the presentation of the case was less than what it ought have been, but only that the summation was so outstanding that I cannot forbear declaring my admiration.

Our top-rated trial attorneys have represented New York and New Jersey victims of almost every major aviation crash in the last 60 years. Our firm's approach to aviation litigation is the same as it is in all of the firm cases, we do not accept representation “in bulk” but rather, approach each case individually. This is a different approach than many other firms in the area of airline crash litigation. Our approach maximizes the ultimate recovery for our clients as they are treated individually and each case is negotiated that way and not in a mass. We are very mindful of the fact that a meticulously prepared case can not only hold those responsible for the plane accident accountable, but can ultimately save lives.

Our partners continued that tradition and have served on the Steering Committee's in many major cases. For example, our partner, Howard S. Hershenhorn, led our firm's successful efforts in representing a client who was a severely injured passenger in the American Eagle flight #3379 airplane crash in Raleigh, N.C. Howard also served on the Steering Committee for all the victims' families and worked with counsel in North Carolina and traveled throughout the country taking depositions of multiple pilots, aeronautical engineering experts and others. 

• American Eagle Flight 3379, RaleighOur attorneys represented multiple victims injured in this regional airline crash (see above).
• SwissAir Flight 111We represented the family of the president of a prominent Swiss watch manufacturer who was killed in the crash of SwissAir Flight 111.
• Brazil TAM CrashOur client was the widow of one of the highest-ranking executives at Citigroup, who died in a TAM Airlines crash in Brazil when the aircraft collided with a building. We filed suit in New York against both the airline and the aircraft manufacturer. Despite repeated efforts by the defense to transfer the case to Brazil, we successfully kept it in New York and resolved the matter favorably.
• Piper Aircraft Crash Over New EnglandWe successfully pursued a wrongful death claim on behalf of the family of a passenger killed when a small Piper aircraft crashed while flying over New England.
• Belle Harbor Queens CrashSeveral families who lost loved ones in the Belle Harbor crash retained our firm to represent them in claims against the responsible parties.
• Continental Flight 3407Our attorneys represented multiple victims of the crash of Continental Flight 3407, which occurred near Buffalo, New York.