Attorney Michael Rehm - (916) 233-7346
Attorney Michael Rehm represents people injured or killed in aviation accidents in and around Sacramento. Sacramento sits at the center of a four-airport region — Sacramento International (SMF), Sacramento Executive (KSAC), Mather Airport (KMHR), and McClellan Airport (KMCC) — each operating under different FAA authority, serving different types of aircraft, and generating a different legal framework when something goes wrong.
Cases are handled on a contingency fee basis. No fee without a recovery. The full legal framework governing California aviation accident claims — including federal preemption, GARA, the Montreal Convention, and the Federal Tort Claims Act — is covered on the California aviation accident attorney page.
Sacramento's Four-Airport Region
Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
SMF is the region's primary commercial airport, served by United, Southwest, Delta, Alaska, American, and other carriers operating under FAA Part 121 certificates. Part 121 carriers are subject to the highest duty of care in aviation — the common carrier standard requiring utmost care and diligence. Terminal B opened in 2011; Terminal A renovation has been ongoing.
For domestic flights, accidents and injuries at SMF are governed by California negligence law applied against the federal standard of care established by FAA regulations. For international flights, the Montreal Convention is the exclusive framework and completely preempts state law. SMF serves nonstop international routes to Mexico and Canada; some European service operates through codeshare arrangements. California-based plaintiffs on international SMF flights may sue in the United States under the Convention's fifth jurisdiction provision if the carrier has a physical presence here — but a two-year repose period applies and cannot be tolled.
Sacramento Executive Airport (KSAC)
Executive Airport is the busiest general aviation airport in the Sacramento region. City-owned and operated, it hosts flight training operations, charter flights, corporate aircraft, and private Part 91 operations. General aviation accounts for the large majority of fatal aviation accidents in the United States. The NTSB maintains a public accident database for KSAC documenting the crash history at Executive Airport going back decades. Liability at Executive Airport may run to pilots, aircraft owners, flight schools, maintenance shops, or the airport operator itself depending on the facts. General aviation product liability claims are subject to GARA's 18-year statute of repose.
Mather Airport (KMHR)
Mather Airport is built on the site of the former Mather Air Force Base. Current operations include cargo, charter, and military training. The former base is also an EPA Superfund site (ID: 0902793) with documented PFAS contamination: PFOA levels near Mather have been measured at more than 33 times the EPA maximum contaminant level; PFOS at more than 27 times. In 2020, Cal-Am Water Company filed suit against the federal government over the contamination. PFAS exposure claims from Mather's military firefighting foam history are a separate but related area of liability — distinct from aircraft accident claims but arising from the same site. The Mather Airport accident attorney page covers both tracks.
McClellan Airport (KMCC)
McClellan Airport operates on the site of the former McClellan Air Force Base, which closed in 2001. Current use is industrial aviation — aircraft maintenance, air cargo, and related operations. McClellan is also an EPA Superfund site (ID: 0902759): PFOA contamination has been measured at 2,100 parts per trillion (525 times the EPA maximum contaminant level) and PFOS at 3,000 parts per trillion (750 times MCL), with 326 identified waste areas and an estimated $533 million cleanup cost. In February 2025, a $6.25 million federal settlement resolved one phase of the PFAS litigation. PFAS exposure claims run on a separate legal track from aircraft accident claims. The McClellan Airport accident attorney page covers both.
Recent Sacramento Aviation Accidents
In October 2025, a Reach Air Medical Services Airbus H130 helicopter crashed on Highway 50 west of 59th Street in Sacramento. NTSB Case DCA25MA108 is open; one fatality has been confirmed and three others were hospitalized. Reach Air Medical is a Part 135 air medical operator. The Sacramento air ambulance accident attorney page covers the liability framework for air medical crashes in depth.
In July 2024, a Cessna 206 that departed McClellan Airport en route to Kneeland Airport crashed, killing two Cal Fire contractors aboard. That accident remains under NTSB investigation.
The Legal Framework
The governing law in a Sacramento aviation accident case depends on the type of aircraft, the type of operation, and — for commercial flights — whether the flight was domestic or international. The FAA operating certificate category controls the standard of care. Part 121 commercial carriers owe the utmost care. Part 135 charter and air ambulance operators owe a demanding but distinct duty. Part 91 private operators are held to ordinary negligence. Federal Aviation Regulations set the standard of care across all categories, and their violation can support negligence per se claims under California Evidence Code section 669.
For international flights departing or arriving at SMF, the Montreal Convention completely displaces California tort law. For cases involving aircraft more than 18 years old, GARA may bar product liability claims against manufacturers. For cases in which FAA air traffic control failure is a possible cause, the Federal Tort Claims Act's two-year administrative claim deadline applies and cannot be tolled.
The full framework — including the preemption and savings clause analysis, GARA's exceptions, the Montreal Convention's five-jurisdiction structure, and California's statutory foundation for aviation tort liability — is covered on the California aviation accident attorney page.
Filing a Claim in Sacramento County
Aviation accident cases arising from incidents at or near Sacramento's airports are filed in Sacramento County Superior Court. The primary courthouse is the Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse at 720 Ninth Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Cases involving federal defendants — including FAA ATC negligence — are filed in the Eastern District of California at 501 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. FTCA cases require an administrative claim with the FAA before suit can be filed; missing that two-year deadline can permanently bar the lawsuit.
Sacramento Aviation Accident Cases: Practice Areas
The following pages address specific types of Sacramento aviation accident cases in depth.
- Sacramento International Airport Accident Attorney — Part 121 commercial operations, domestic and international flights, Montreal Convention framework for SMF international routes.
- Sacramento Executive Airport Accident Attorney — General aviation, flight school negligence, NTSB accident history at KSAC.
- Mather Airport Accident Attorney — Part 135 and Part 91 cargo and charter operations; PFAS Superfund contamination liability.
- McClellan Airport Accident Attorney — Industrial aviation and aircraft maintenance liability; PFAS Superfund contamination.
- Sacramento Small Plane Accident Attorney — Part 91 single-engine and multi-engine aircraft; GARA product liability; pilot and maintenance negligence.
- Sacramento Helicopter Accident Attorney — Part 135 air medical and Part 91 private operations; rotor-wing mechanical failure; EMS helicopter liability.
- Sacramento Charter Flight Accident Attorney — Part 135 on-demand operations; commercial air operator insurance requirements; FAR negligence per se.
- Sacramento Air Ambulance Accident Attorney — NTSB Case DCA25MA108 (Reach Air Medical, October 2025); Part 135 air medical liability.
- Sacramento Skydiving Accident Attorney — Skydive Lodi; waiver enforceability under California law; tandem instructor and dropzone liability.
Attorney Michael Rehm handles aviation accident cases throughout Sacramento County and Northern California on a contingency fee basis. No fee without a recovery. Call (916) 233-7346 for a free consultation — office visits, home visits, and hospital visits available.