Orange, TX — Two men were badly injured outside of the Orange Municipal Airport after their small plane crashed last Saturday, April 2, 2015. Police later identified the man as Ron Jackson, 66, and Larry Webb, 64. Jackson was a passenger in the plane while Webb was the pilot.
The accident happened on Saturday morning, just minutes after Webb’s plane had taken off. This was a Beechcraft 35 single-engine plane.
Webb and Jackson had taken off from one of the runways that morning when the wind suddenly changed and Webb lost control. The plane went down and hit an electric transmission line. It crashed near an in-progress neighborhood being construction less than a mile north of the airport.
Both Jackson and Webb survived the accident, but were critically injured. They had to be taken to separate hospoitals and as of Sunday, they were still in serious condition. It’s not clear where their plane was headed or where it had come from, originally.
Map of the Accident (General Area)
Commentary:
I know the FAA and the NTSB will probably be investigating this, but I do want to warn that their processes and investigations can take a very long time. Since the statute of limitations on bringing most civil claims or product liability claims is 2 years or less, you don’t want a government-run investigation eating up 1+ years of that time. I’m not saying that there’s obviously something wrong with the plane or anything like that, I’m simply pointing out that it’s hard to tell what causes a plane to lose control and, if it is a mechanical problem or defect, it’s better to know sooner than later. That way, the appropriate parties, like the manufacturers of the plane, can be held liable.
— Grossman Law Offices