Michael wrote:

James Robinson wrote
Not really. The aircraft manufacturers seem to get sued almost
automatically, no matter what the cause of the accident was

Not really. In fact, the lawsuits are not all that common.

They don't need to be that common when they are for millions and millions of
dollars. Who can forget the lawsuit that Piper lost because somebody took off
in their Cub with the seat removed on a runway with a truck intentionally it?
Piper was found at fault because the pilot couldn't see directly in front of
him before the tail wheel came up. (never mind that it was a tailwheel
airplane or that it had been certified by the govt that way or that the seat
had been removed.)
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pi...92/pc9212.html (Piper would later
lose the appeal too).


Or who can forget the poor fellow who flew his Cessna 182 VFR into a massive
thunderstorm in Virginia and was killed? Cessna was found responsible and had
to pay millions and millions because of a "defective tail design." Nevermind
that test pilots flew numerous 182s to Vne and couldn't find anything wrong
with the tail, that it had been certified by the feds, or that pilot had
illegally been scud running into IMC without an instrument rating.

The last
one I remember was the governor who crashed. When Kennedy crashed,
nobody sued.

The knives were sharpened amongst the individual parties but there was a big
settlement. Yes, I"m pretty amazed that Piper and every parts manufacturer
wasn't sued, but they probably figured they already have enough money and it
wasn't worth the time in court. Good for them.