And what of the total liability picture? Well, I'll tell you: it's been transferred to the owners, since going after the manufacturers is now harder (but, of course, not impossible). Liability premiums for owners are much higher, and many companies will no longer write the coverage.
Since I write those checks, I think the reality is painfully clear to me.
Actually, the lawyers have been gunning for the parts makers and vendors, and also for repairmen (A&Ps and IAs) and repair stations.
For instance, when Mel Carnahan was killed by his son's inability to fly partial-panel, they went after the maker of the vacuum pump that powers the vacuum instruments (in this case, Parker Hannifin Inc.).
Even though the vacuum pump never failed until Roger Carnahan slammed it into terra firma (along with the rest of the plane) at 260+ knots.
They selected an all-mongoloid jury, and then pled a weepy, emotional case, in front of a fully-tortster-owned judge.
That's a typical aviation tort case.
Another one was a lawyer in Florida who missed three straight approaches to minimums and then lost control in IMC, killing himself and his clients.
The family, well represented by another Mr No-Shoulders of the Forked Tongue Bar, sued the FAA (!) on the theory that his loss of control was caused by them not passing a .02 millibar change in the barometer setting to him.
The family won big (after all, the Government has the deepest pockets of all), and has since been outraged by the suggestion that it was all about the money. So I'm waiting to hear they donated their winnings at Lawsuit Lotto to a registered charity.
(Hark! Methinks I hear crickets!)
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F