Hulburt Law Firm represents people and families after serious and fatal aviation accidents throughout San Diego County. We handle cases involving private planes, helicopters, commercial aircraft, and defective aircraft components.
We act quickly to preserve evidence, examine flight and maintenance records, and work with aviation experts to determine what went wrong and who is responsible. Our attorneys prepare each case to establish accountability and pursue compensation that reflects the full impact of a serious injury or the loss of a loved one.
Affected by a serious aviation accident? We can help.

An aviation accident may involve pilot error, mechanical failure, improper maintenance, or several contributing causes. We investigate beyond the initial explanation to understand what happened and identify the people and companies responsible.
We handle crashes involving privately owned aircraft, recreational flights, and flight training. Most crashes in San Diego involve small aircraft operating from Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, Gillespie Field, and Brown Field airports.
These cases can involve pilots, aircraft owners, flight schools, maintenance providers, and manufacturers. We investigate the crash independently to determine what happened and who was responsible. Our investigation may include flight records, pilot qualifications, maintenance history, weather conditions, and aircraft components to determine why the crash occurred.
Our guide to small plane crash claims in San Diego explains who can be held responsible, the deadlines that apply, and every NTSB-investigated small plane accident in the county since 2021.
Helicopter accidents can arise from pilot error, mechanical failure, inadequate maintenance, or unsafe operations. Cases may involve sightseeing flights, medical transport, utility operations, private helicopters, and other commercial operators.
We investigate potential claims against pilots, operators, maintenance providers, and manufacturers when their conduct or products contribute to a serious or fatal crash.
Charter and air-taxi operators are subject to federal requirements governing aircraft operation, maintenance, pilot qualifications, and safety. When a serious accident occurs, responsibility may extend beyond the pilot to the company operating the flight or maintaining the aircraft.
We represent passengers and families in claims arising from negligent operation, inadequate maintenance, mechanical failure, and other safety failures.
Not every aviation claim involves a crash. Passengers can suffer serious injuries during turbulence, boarding, landing, or other flight and ground operations.
California law imposes a heightened duty of care on common carriers. We represent passengers in serious airline injury claims as well as airport and ground workers who may have claims against negligent companies other than their employers.
A small component failure can bring down an aircraft. Defective engines, ignition systems, fuel systems, flight controls, and other aircraft components can give rise to product liability claims against manufacturers and other companies in the chain of distribution.
These cases require detailed engineering analysis, examination of the wreckage, and review of maintenance, certification, and testing records.
Aircraft crashes can also seriously injure or kill people who were never aboard the aircraft. A plane or helicopter may strike a home, vehicle, or person on the ground, while falling debris can cause additional injuries and property damage.
People injured on the ground may have claims against pilots, aircraft operators, maintenance providers, manufacturers, and other parties whose conduct contributed to the accident.
Conor and Leslie Hulburt represent people and families in serious injury and wrongful death cases throughout San Diego. They prepare cases from the beginning with the investigation, expert analysis, and trial strategy necessary to take on manufacturers, insurers, and other defendants.
Conor Hulburt has represented families in fatal aviation cases involving defective aircraft components. In a case arising from a plane crash in Santee, the manufacturer blamed the pilots. Conor worked with aviation and technical experts to establish that a defective engine ignition component caused the aircraft to lose power, securing a substantial recovery for the surviving family.
Leslie Hulburt brings extensive experience handling complex product liability cases through litigation, mediation, arbitration, and trial. Together, Conor and Leslie work to uncover the truth, hold responsible parties accountable, and help families move forward.

Our attorneys have obtained substantial recoveries for people who suffered catastrophic injuries and families who lost loved ones, including in a fatal aviation case involving a defective aircraft component.
A defective airplane engine ignition component caused a deadly crash in San Diego.
A sudden tire failure caused an SUV to fishtail and crash into a tree on the side of a San Diego County highway, killing a beloved husband and father.
Jury verdict against Caltrans for a 13-year-old boy who suffered a catastrophic brain injury after he was struck by a vehicle while using a dangerous crosswalk.
We listen to what happened, review the available information, and give you an honest assessment of how we may be able to help.
We investigate independently rather than relying solely on the NTSB or FAA. Depending on the accident, that may include examining the wreckage and crash site, obtaining maintenance and flight records, reviewing air traffic control recordings and radar data, and interviewing witnesses.
Aviation cases often require specialized experts to determine why an aircraft went down. We work with aviation, engineering, accident reconstruction, medical, and economic experts as needed to establish what happened and the full extent of the harm caused.
We identify everyone who may be responsible, including pilots, aircraft operators and owners, maintenance providers, manufacturers, and government entities. We then determine which state and federal laws apply and develop the strategy for pursuing the case.
Once the evidence and damages are sufficiently developed, we present the case to the responsible parties and their insurers. We account for medical expenses, lost income, future care, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, and, in fatal cases, the losses suffered by surviving family members.
If the case cannot be resolved fairly, we are prepared to take it to trial. We use testimony, technical evidence, expert analysis, documents, and visual presentation to explain what happened and prove responsibility to a jury.
Aviation accident cases often involve both federal aviation law and California personal injury or wrongful death law. The FAA regulates aircraft operations and safety, while the NTSB investigates serious aviation accidents. Civil liability, however, must be established separately.
After a serious aviation accident, the NTSB may examine the wreckage, interview witnesses, review maintenance and operational records, analyze available flight data, and ultimately determine a probable cause.
The NTSB investigation can provide important evidence, but it does not represent injured people or surviving families and does not determine civil liability or damages. Federal law restricts the use of the NTSB's Board accident report and probable-cause determination in civil litigation under 49 U.S.C. section 1154(b). Underlying factual investigative materials may still provide important evidence.
For that reason, an independent legal investigation should begin early rather than simply waiting for the federal investigation to conclude.
Liability depends on what caused the accident. Potentially responsible parties may include:
More than one party may share responsibility, particularly when an accident involves both operational error and a mechanical or maintenance failure.
Product liability claims involving older general aviation aircraft require special attention to the General Aviation Revitalization Act (GARA).
GARA generally creates an 18-year statute of repose for claims against manufacturers of qualifying general aviation aircraft and components. But important exceptions apply, and GARA contains a separate 18-year period for a new component or part that replaces or is added to an aircraft and is alleged to have caused the accident.
That makes the aircraft's maintenance history, component serial numbers, installation dates, and the identity of each manufacturer particularly important in older-aircraft cases.
Under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, most California lawsuits for personal injury or wrongful death must be filed within two years.
Much shorter deadlines can apply when a California public entity is involved. That can matter in aviation cases involving publicly operated airports, government aircraft, or other government conduct.
Government Code section 911.2 generally requires a claim for personal injury or death to be presented to the public entity within six months of accrual.
If the agency gives a qualifying written rejection, Government Code section 945.6 generally requires the lawsuit to be filed within six months after the rejection is delivered or mailed. If no qualifying written rejection is given, a different deadline applies.
Claims against the federal government follow a separate administrative process under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and additional rules may apply to certain commercial or international flights.
Because aviation accidents can involve several defendants and different limitation periods, identifying every potentially responsible party and every applicable deadline should be one of the first steps in the investigation.
We dig into the evidence, work with qualified experts, and investigate what happened and why.
We use technology and visual presentation to analyze evidence and explain complex issues clearly.
We carefully document medical costs, lost income, future care, and the full impact of a serious injury or death.
We prepare serious cases for trial from the beginning and have taken on major corporations, insurers, and government entities.
We limit the number of cases we accept so Conor and Leslie can stay closely involved with every client.
Seek medical care first, even if your injuries initially seem minor. Preserve boarding passes, photographs, videos, medical records, and anything else related to the flight or accident. Write down what you remember while it is fresh, and avoid signing releases or giving detailed statements to insurers before understanding your rights.
Aviation evidence can disappear or become difficult to obtain, so an independent investigation should begin as soon as possible.
Depending on what caused the accident, responsible parties may include pilots, aircraft owners and operators, flight schools, charter companies, maintenance providers, aircraft or component manufacturers, employers, airport operators, and government entities.
Aviation accidents frequently involve more than one cause, so identifying every responsible party is an important part of the investigation.
The NTSB investigates serious aviation accidents and may examine wreckage, maintenance records, flight data, witness statements, and other evidence before determining probable cause.
But the NTSB does not represent injured people or families and does not decide civil liability or damages. Federal law also restricts the use of the Board's accident report and probable-cause determination in a civil case under 49 U.S.C. section 1154(b). A separate legal investigation is therefore important.
Possibly. The General Aviation Revitalization Act (GARA) generally creates an 18-year statute of repose for product liability claims against manufacturers of qualifying general aviation aircraft and components.
But GARA has important exceptions and a separate 18-year period for certain replacement or added components alleged to have caused the accident. Maintenance records, part numbers, and installation dates can therefore be critical in cases involving older aircraft.
Certain surviving family members may bring a wrongful death claim for losses including financial support, household services, funeral expenses, and the loss of their loved one's companionship, care, and guidance.
A separate survival claim may also be brought on behalf of the estate for losses the person sustained before death. Under current Code of Civil Procedure section 377.34, the damages available in a survival action differ from those available in a wrongful death claim.
Depending on the case, an injured person may recover medical expenses, lost income, diminished earning capacity, future care costs, property damage, and compensation for pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
When an aviation accident is fatal, eligible family members and the estate may have separate wrongful death and survival claims.
Under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, most California personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within two years.
Much shorter deadlines may apply when a public entity is involved. Government Code section 911.2 generally requires a claim for personal injury or death to be presented within six months. Claims involving the federal government or certain international flights can follow different rules, so the applicable deadlines should be identified early.
Hulburt Law Firm handles aviation accident cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney's fee upfront, and the attorney's fee is paid as a percentage of the recovery if the case is successful.
Aviation cases can involve significant costs for experts, engineering analysis, records, depositions, and litigation. How those costs are handled is explained in the written fee agreement.
Hulburt Law Firm represents people and families in serious and fatal aviation accident cases throughout San Diego County, including crashes and incidents connected to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, Gillespie Field, Brown Field, and other airports throughout Southern California.

Simply fill out the form or call 619.821.0500 to receive a free case review. We’ll evaluate what happened, your injuries, and potential defendants to determine how we can best help you.