Our Global Experience

Acutely aware of the tremendous impact such an event has on families, we are committed to taking care of the many overwhelming, immediate and long-term needs created by an aviation disaster. Ribbeck Law has helped clients from over 65 countries navigate through the United States’ court system. We have been involved in more than 43 plane crashes around the world.

Nothing can rewind one’s life after a tragic event. Lives are forever and overwhelmingly altered, and Ribbeck Law understands. At Ribbeck Law, accomplished attorneys with decades of complex litigation successes behind them still recognize that their greatest value is often to listen to distressed families and work to prevent additional stress. During this difficult time and unfamiliar legal process, Ribbeck Law is with the families each step of the way.

As one of the few elite international firms representing clients around the world, Ribbeck attorneys rank amongst the most powerful. We are proud to be thoroughly experienced in global aviation law.

Aviation Cases:

Flydubai Flight 981, March 19, 2016, Rostov-on-Don, Russia 

Flight 981 was a scheduled international passenger flight that crashed during an aborted landing at Rostov-on-Don Airport  resulting in the deaths of all 62 passengers and crew on board.

Metrojet Flight 9268, October 31, 2015, Sinai, Egypt

Flight 9268 was an international chartered passenger flight where the aircraft disintegrated above the northern Sinai following its departure from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, Egypt. All 224 passengers and crew who were on board were killed.

TurkishAirlines Flight TK726, March 4, 2015, Katmandu, Nepal: settled

Flight TK726 aircraft, carrying 224 passengers,  skidded after overshooting a runway amid dense fog in Nepal. Passengers sustained some minor injuries, but no-one was seriously hurt.

MalaysiaAirlines Flight MH370, March 8, 2014, Indian Ocean: settled

Flight MH370 was an international passenger flight that disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, to its destination, Beijing Capital International Airport in China. The aircraft was carrying 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers. The aircraft has not been recovered, and the cause for the disappearance remains unknown.

Lao Airlines Flight 301, October 16, 2013, Pakse, Laos

Flight 301 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Vientiane to Pakse, Laos where the aircraft crashed into the Mekong River in Pakse, killing all 49 people on board.

Asiana Airlines Flight 214, July 7, 2013, San Francisco, California: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 214 was a scheduled transpacific passenger flight from Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea, to San Francisco International Airport. The aircraft crashed on final approach into San Francisco International Airport. There were 307 people aboard. Two passengers died at the crash scene, and a third died in a hospital several days later. 187 individuals were injured, 49 of them seriously.

ScatAirlines Flight 760, January 29, 2013, Kazakhstan 

Flight 760 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Kokshetau to Almaty, Kazakhstan, that crashed near Kyzyltu, killing all 16 passengers and 5 crew on board.

Learjet LJ25, December 9, 2012, Sierra de Iturbide, Mexico

Learjet LJ25 was a business jet carrying American singer Jenni Rivera. The aircraft crashed south of Monterrey, Mexico, minutes after taking off from the city’s international airport. The singer, four other passengers and two crew members were all killed.

Dana Air Flight 992, June 3, 2012, Nigeria: settled

Flight 992 was a scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from Abuja to Lagos, Nigeria. The aircraft crashed into a furniture works and printing press building in Lagos. The crash resulted in the deaths of all 153 people on board and 10 more on the ground.

Costa Concordia, January 13, 2012, Italy: settled

Costa Concordia cruise ship, carrying 3,206 passengers and 1,023 crew and personnel, capsized and sank after striking an underwater rock off Isola del Giglio, Tuscany, resulting in 32 deaths.

First Air Flight 6560, August 20, 2011, Resolute, Canada

Flight 6560 was a charter flight which crashed near Resolute, Nunavut, Canada. Of the 15 people on board, 12 were killed, and 3 were injured but survived.

CaribbeanAirlines Flight 523, July 30, 2011, Georgetown, Guyana: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 523 was a passenger flight which overran the runway at CheddiJagan International Airport, Georgetown, Guyana. 7 of the 163 aboard suffered injuries.

Hewa Bora Flight 952, July 8, 2011, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo

Flight 952 was a passenger flight which crashed at Bangoka International Airport, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 74 of the 118 people on board died.

RusAir Flight 9605, June 20, 2011, Petrozavodsk, Russia: settled

Flight 9605 was a passenger flight which crashed near Petrozavodsk Airport, Petrozavodsk, Russia. 47 of the 52 on board died.

Georgia Airways Flight UN834, April 4, 2011, Democratic Republic of Congo: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight UN834 was a domestic flight from Kisangani to Kinshasa for United Nation’s Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The aircraft crashed during a go around at Kinshasa Airport. There were 32 fatalities, with one survivor.

Henan Airlines Flight 8387, August 24, 2010, China

Flight 8387 was a domestic flight operated by Henan Airlines from Harbin Taiping International Airport to YichunLindu Airport. The aircraft crashed on approach to YichunLindu with 91 passengers and 5 crew members on board. There were 44 fatalities and 52 survivors.

Merpati Airlines Flight 836, April 13, 2010, Indonesia: settled

Flight 836 was a domestic flight between Sorong and Manokwari, Indonesia. The aircraft overran the runway on landing. All people on board survived, although 44 suffered injuries.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, January 25, 2010, Lebanon: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 836 was an international commercial flight from Beirut to Addis Ababa that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff from Rafic Hariri International Airport, killing all 90 people on board.

American Airlines Flight 331, December 22, 2009, Kingston, Jamaica: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 331aircraft, carrying 148 passengers and 6 crew, overran the runway on landing at Kingston in poor weather. All people on board survived, although there were 85 injuries.

Turkish Airlines Flight 1951, February 25, 2009, Amsterdam, Netherlands: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 1951 was a passenger flight that crashed into a field during landing at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, resulting in the death of 9 passengers and crew including all 3 pilots who died on impact.

Aeroflot Flight 821, September 14, 2008, Perm, Russia: settled

Flight 821 aircraft crashed on approach to Perm International Airport. All 82 passengers and 6 crew members were killed.

Spanair Flight 5022, August 20, 2008, Madrid, Spain 

Flight 5022 was a domestic passenger flight from Barcelona–El Prat Airport to Gran Canaria Airport, Spain, via Madrid–Barajas Airport. The aircraft crashed just after take-off from the runway at Madrid Airport. 154 people died, and 18 people survived.

Cessna Caravan, Chile, 2008 

The Cessna aircraft disappeared during a flight from Puerto Montt to La Junta. It crashed in a thickly wooded area. Authorities found the wreck of the plane missing for four days in southern Chile. There were 9 survivors among the 10 people aboard. The pilot was the only fatality.

AtlasJet Flight 4203, November 30, 2007, Isparta, Turkey: settled

Flight 4203 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Istanbul Atatürk Airport to IspartaSüleymanDemirel Airport, Turkey.  The aircraft crashed in the vicinity of Keçiborlu while on approach, approximately 12 kilometers west of the destination airport. All 50 passengers and 7 crew members on board perished in the accident.

One-Two-Go Flight 269, September 16, 2007, Phuket Island, Thailand: settled

Flight 269 aircraft crashed into an embankment beside a runway at Phuket International Airport bursting into flames upon impact during an attempted go-around after an aborted landing, killing 89 of the 130 persons on board.

Kenya Airways Flight 507, May 5, 2007, Douala, Cameroon 

Flight 507 was a scheduled Abidjan–Douala–Nairobi passenger flight that crashed in the initial stage of its second leg immediately after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Cameroon. There were 114 people on board and no survivors.

Garuda Flight 200, March 7, 2007, Yogyakarta, Indonesia: settled

Flight 200 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The aircraft overran the runway, crashed into a rice field and burst into flames while landing at Adisucipto International Airport. 21 passengers and 1 crew member were killed.

Adam Air Flight 574, January 1, 2007, Manado, Indonesia: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 574 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Surabaya and Manado that crashed into the Makassar Strait near Polewali in Sulawesi . All 102 people on board died.

Gol Airlines Flight 1907, September 29, 2006, Mato Grosso, Brazil 

Flight 1907 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Manaus to Rio de Janeiro. The aircraft collided in midair with an Embraer  business jet over the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. All 154 passengers and crew died when the aircraft broke up in midair and crashed into an area of dense jungle.

Chalk’s Ocean Airways, December 19, 2005, Miami, Florida, USA: multi-million dollar settlement

It was an aircraft crash that occurred off Miami Beach, Florida. All 20 passengers and crew on board died in the crash. Witnesses saw white smoke billowing from the aircraft before the right wing ripped off and the aircraft plunged into the ocean.

Mandala Airlines Flight 091, September 5, 2005, Medan, Indonesia

Flight 91 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight that originated from Polonia International Airport to Soekarno-Hatta Int’l Airport in Indonesia. The aircraft crashed into a heavily populated residential area seconds after taking off in Medan. There were 149 fatalities. 49 people perished on the ground while 17 passengers survived and 100 passengers perished.

Tans Airlines Flight 204, August 23, 2005, Pucallpa, Peru: settled

Flight 204 was a domestic scheduled Lima–Pucallpa–Iquitos passenger service. The aircraft  crashed on approach to Pucallpa Airport, 4 miles off the airfield, following an emergency landing attempt because of bad weather, killing 40 of the 98 passengers and crew aboard.

Lion Air Flight 538, November 30, 2004, Solo, Indonesia: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 538 was a scheduled passenger flight from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Jakarta to Juanda International Airport in Surabaya with a stopover at AdiSumarmo Airport, Surakarta, Indonesia. The aircraft overran the runway of AdiSumarmo Airport and crashed onto a cemetery. The captain, a flight attendant and 23 passengers were killed in the crash. There were 128 survivors.

Tol Air 12, July 2004, Virgin Islands 

Flight 12, carrying a cargo of perishable food, departed from Puerto Rico to Sint Maarten. A fire had extended to the whole front of the engine cylinders. The burning engine fell off the plane’s wing. After hitting the water surface, the cockpit section also contacted the water and sank for a short time. One of the wings and the cockpit separated and the airplane sank into 1,000 feet of water. The co-pilot was rescued , while the captain was declared missing and had not been found.

American Eagle Flight 5401, May 9, 2004, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Flight 5401 aircraft crashed at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The aircraft came to a complete stop on a grassy area left of the runway and beyond the runway threshold. The captain was seriously injured; the first officer, 2 flight attendants, and 16 of the 22 passengers received minor injuries; and the remaining 6 passengers received no injuries. All 22 passengers survived.

Flash Airlines Flight 604, January 3, 2004, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt 

Flight 604 aircraft crashed into the Red Sea shortly after takeoff from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, killing all 135 passengers and all 13 crew members.

ATA Airlines Flight 208, April 18, 2002, Missouri, USA

China Airlines Flight 611, May 25, 2002, Penghu Islands, Taiwan: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 611 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport  in Taiwan to Hong Kong International Airport. The aircraft  disintegrated in mid-air and crashed into the Taiwan Strait 20 minutes after takeoff, killing all 225 people on board.

American Airlines 587, November 12, 2001, Belle Harbor, New York, USA: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 587 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens, New York City. All 260 people aboard the plane died. 5 bystanders were killed on the ground.

Singapore Airlines Flight 006, October 31, 2000, Taipei, Taiwan: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 006 was a scheduled passenger flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Los Angeles International Airport via Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan. The aircraft attempted to take off from the wrong runway at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport during a typhoon. The aircraft crashed into construction equipment on the runway, killing 81 of the 179 occupants aboard. 2 other passengers died later from injuries in a hospital.

Air Philippines Flight 541, April 19, 2000, Samal Island, Philippines: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 541 was a scheduled domestic flight from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila to Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City. The aircraft crashed in Samal, Davao del Norte while on approach to the airport, killing all 124 passengers and 7 crew members.

Egypt Air Flight 990, October 31, 1999, New York, USA 

Flight 990 was a regularly scheduled flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Cairo International Airport, Egypt, with a stop at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City. The aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 60 miles south of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, killing all 217 passengers and crew on board.

LAPA Airlines Flight 3142, August 31, 1999, Buenos Aires, Argentina: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 3142 was a scheduled Buenos Aires–Córdoba flight. The aircraft crashed while attempting to take off from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery after it failed to get airborne. The crash resulted in 65 fatalities—63 of them occupants of the aircraft and 2 on the ground. The remaining 37 occupants of the aircraft survived.

Swissair Flight 111, September 2, 1998, Nova Scotia, Canada: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 111 was a scheduled international passenger flight from New York City to Geneva, Switzerland.  The aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Halifax International Airport at the entrance to St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia. All 229 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft died.

Austral Airlines, Flight 2553, October 10, 1997: multi-million dollar settlement

Flight 2553 was a domestic scheduled Posadas–Buenos Aires flight. The aircraft crashed on the lands of Estancia Magallanes, Nuevo Berlín, 20 miles away from Fray Bentos, Uruguay. All 74 passengers and crew died upon impact.

Garuda Airlines Flight 152, September 26,1997, Medan, Indonesia: first part settled

Flight 152 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta to Polonia International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra. The aircraft, on final approach into Polonia International Airport, crashed into mountainous woodlands 30 miles from Medan during low visibility. All 234 passengers and crew were killed in the disaster.