Military Air Accidents

If you were injured in an air accident as a result of safety measures being overlooked, you could claim compensation.

Normally, you have three years to claim from the date of the accident. In fatal cases, the family of the deceased has three years to make a claim, starting from either the date your loved one died, or the date you received the post-mortem results.

Claims can be made regardless of whether you’re still serving in the military or have since left or been discharged from service (provided your claim is made within the relevant time limits).

In addition to making a civil claim for compensation following an accident, you may also be able to claim under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS). If you have PAX insurance, you may be able to claim that way, too. However, receiving payments from the AFCS or PAX Insurance doesn't prevent you from making a separate civil claim for compensation in the event of negligence.

Making a claim isn't affected by where an accident occurred either—you can claim whether you were in a training accident at home, or in a combat zone overseas. We have helped clients make military injury claims following accidents in the UK, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Canada, Germany and Kenya.

Although there is exceptional flying training in place in the armed forces, there are still risks involved with military aircraft operations by their very nature. When something goes wrong, the consequences can be tragic.

We have helped aircrew and passengers or their loved ones claim compensation for accidents caused in a number of ways, including:

• Training accidents
• Pilot error
• Failure to follow safety processes
• Parachute failures
• Faulty components within the aircraft, which may involve claiming against civilian contractors rather than the MoD

There is no individual cause that's most often responsible for air accidents, as any crash is usually the result of a long chain of events. Our in-house aviation law military specialists analyse all circumstances surrounding an accident to work out exactly what has happened.

If you have been injured in a military air accident or you know someone who has, contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your options.