For this discussion post, I will provide a hypothetical example that is possible in any flight school in the United States if an owner and employees are not carefully following all rules and regulations. Please provide your thoughts on who is liable in this situation. Hint, it is probably more than one person/party. What are they possibly liable for? What could they have done to prevent being liable for a situation? You must answer all of the previous questions for full credit.

Prompt:A man with a private pilot certificate walks into a flight school and wants to rent the Piper Arrow. A little background, the Piper Arrow is a 'complex' aircraft that a pilot must receive a specific endorsement from an instructor that they have received and logged ground/flight training and found them competent in the systems/operation. An instructor on duty offers to go flying with the man, does not do ground training, and says verbally that he is "good to go" and rent the aircraft. The instructor does not issue an endorsement. The next week, the pilot returns to the flight school, rents the aircraft, and accidentally lands the aircraft without lowering the landing gear. He and his passenger are injured and treated at a local hospital. Who is possibly liable? Below are a few questions to start you off.

• • Is the flight school liable? If so, for what?
  • Is the dispatcher that rented the aircraft liable? If so, for what?
  • Is the pilot liable? If so, for what?
  • Is the instructor liable? If so, for what?
  • What could each party have done to protect themselves from liability?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

In the scenario described there are multiple parties who might be considered liable due to various failures in following established protocols and regulations associated with flying a complex aircraft ... View the full answer