Many factors could affect or cause an airplane accident. The common aspects of an airplane accident are:

1. Pilot's negligence – when pilots operate aircrafts while under the influence of liquor, incompetence and inexperience and possibly operating of aircrafts beyond the standard capability;

2. Product liability – when parts of the airplane's equipment are defective or malfunctions causing the accident;

3. Poor maintenance – when airplane engines and equipments are not properly maintained causing malfunctions and leading to accidents; and

4. Weather conditions - wherein poor visibility or other forces of nature result in airplane mishaps.

If you happen to be involved in an airplane accident, you can definitely file for damages against the pilot and the airlines for the injuries you sustained because of the accident.

Some of the injuries, taking aside death, which people sustain during airplane accidents, are:

1. Scrapes and bruises;

2. Head or brain injury;

3. Spinal cord injury;

4. Bone fractures; and,

5. Short term or long term disability

If you sustain any of the listed injuries, you are entitled to claim for damages against the negligent party, including economic and non-economic damages.

However, how are you going to claim damages if the cause of accident are birds?

It is believed that most birds avoid collision with airplanes because birds can change their flight course in time. Unfortunately, aircrafts that move at high speed are especially at risk in colliding with birds. The speed level of such aircrafts makes it impossible for birds to change their course in time to avoid a collision.

Bird collision occurs mostly during take off or landing of planes when the altitude is low. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, wild life hazard management manual of 2005, less than 8% of bird collision occurs above 3,000 feet and 61% occurs at less than 100 feet.

The specie of birds that could cause airplane accidents varies depending on the area an airport is located and the birds' migration pattern. However, geese and gulls are said to cause the most serious disasters in airplane accidents arising from collisions with birds.

If you have been injured in an aviation accident due to a bird collision, you can still claim damages against the airlines. However, you have to prove that the airlines have been negligent and have not taken into consideration the possibility of bird collision in relation to the migration pattern in the area where the airport or flight path is located.