San Francisco Aviation Accident Attorney

Attorney Michael Rehm — (800) 978-0754

Aviation Accidents at San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport (SFO), operated by the City and County of San Francisco, is one of the busiest airports on the West Coast. Located on the San Francisco Bay in San Mateo County, it handles tens of millions of passengers annually on domestic and international routes across more than forty airlines. Approach and departure sequencing is managed by Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Control (NorCal TRACON) . SFO is the primary international gateway for Northern California, meaning a significant share of its traffic falls under the Montreal Convention rather than California tort law — a framework that governs both the cause of action and the damages structure for international flight injuries.

Attorney Michael Rehm represents people injured in aviation accidents at San Francisco International Airport and throughout California. Claims arising from SFO accidents involve the City and County of San Francisco as airport operator, international and domestic carriers, ground handling companies, maintenance providers, and the FAA. The legal framework depends on whether the flight was domestic or international, whether the injury occurred in the air or on the ground, and who the responsible parties are.

NTSB Accident Record at San Francisco International Airport

The NTSB has investigated four fatal accidents in the San Francisco area since 1982, producing ten fatalities, and six serious-injury accidents with no fatalities. The following is drawn from the NTSB's CAROL accident database and represents historical investigation records only.

The most significant accident in the SFO record is the July 6, 2013 crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214, a Boeing 777-200ER on approach to Runway 28L, documented as NTSB Accident Report No. DCA13MA120. Three passengers were killed; approximately fifty others sustained serious injuries; the aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB determined the probable cause was the flight crew's mismanagement of the visual approach and the unintended deactivation of the autothrottle, combined with the flight crew's failure to monitor and maintain adequate airspeed. The full board report is NTSB/AAR-14/01, published in 2015. This accident produced civil litigation in both federal and California courts, with claims against Asiana Airlines and the aircraft manufacturer. Because Asiana is a South Korean carrier operating an international flight, the Montreal Convention governed the claim structure.

A February 1983 fatal ramp accident involved a Wings West Beech C-99 on which a station agent was struck by the rotating propeller (LAX83FA076). A February 1984 accident involved a Cessna 182Q that entered an inflight collision with the ocean approximately five miles west of SFO (LAX95LA108). In October 1984, a Gates Learjet 24B crashed between Runways 28L and 28R after entering clouds on departure, killing three aboard (LAX85MA008).

Among serious-injury accidents, a July 2022 Bombardier Challenger 300 operated by XO Jet experienced an autopilot disconnect and in-flight upset, causing a cabin attendant who was unbelted above 10,000 feet to sustain serious injuries (WPR22LA284). A February 1985 uncontrolled descent aboard a China Airlines Boeing 747 SP from FL410 due to engine malfunction and autopilot over-reliance resulted in two serious injuries (DCA85AA015). An August 2008 accident (SEA08LA182) involved an Eva Air Boeing 777-300 on which ground crew were pinned under the nose gear during pushback due to a tow bar SOP failure.

The Montreal Convention and International Flight Claims at SFO

A substantial portion of SFO's traffic is international. The Montreal Convention — the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (1999) — governs personal injury and wrongful death claims arising from international flights. It preempts California state tort law for international air travel but provides its own cause of action under Article 17.

Under the Montreal Convention, air carriers face strict liability for passenger death or bodily injury up to 113,100 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) — verify the current SDR equivalent at the International Monetary Fund at the time of any specific claim, as the rate fluctuates. Above that threshold, carrier liability is not capped if the carrier cannot establish it took all reasonable measures to avoid the damage, or that it was impossible to take such measures. For serious injuries — the kind documented in the Asiana 214 accident — the above-threshold tier is the operative one, and the carrier bears the burden of establishing it took all reasonable measures.

Montreal Convention claims must be filed within two years of the date of arrival at the destination, or the date on which the aircraft ought to have arrived. This is a strict deadline with limited tolling. If you were injured on an international flight into or out of SFO, the two-year Montreal Convention deadline applies rather than California's two-year personal injury statute.

Liability at San Francisco International Airport

City and County of San Francisco as Airport Operator

SFO is operated by the City and County of San Francisco, a public entity. Claims against the City for airport design, maintenance, or operational failures are governed by Government Code § 835. The City is also vicariously liable for the acts of its airport employees under Government Code § 815.2. Claims against the City require a government tort claim under Government Code § 911.2 within six months of the incident — a deadline shorter than the two-year personal injury statute and one that can potentially bar a lawsuit if missed. Tolling doctrines may apply depending on the facts.

Commercial Carrier Liability

Airlines operating at SFO on domestic routes are common carriers under Public Utilities Code § 2100, held to the utmost care and diligence standard under Public Utilities Code § 2101. For international carriers, the Montreal Convention governs. The practical difference: domestic claims proceed under California negligence law with the common carrier standard; international claims proceed under the Montreal Convention with strict liability up to the SDR threshold and rebuttable presumption above it.

Ground Operations and Ramp Injuries

The August 2008 Eva Air pushback accident (SEA08LA182) and the 1983 propeller-strike ramp fatality (LAX83FA076) both illustrate that SFO injury claims extend well beyond flight operations. Ground crew, ramp workers, and airport operations personnel injured by aircraft equipment, tow bar failures, jet blast, or propeller contact have claims against aircraft operators and ground handling contractors. Civil Code § 1714 imposes a duty of ordinary care on every person whose negligence causes injury to another. Workers injured on the ramp also have workers' compensation rights alongside any third-party tort claims.

Air Traffic Control

SFO is a federally controlled airport. ATC services are provided by FAA personnel. Claims arising from ATC errors at SFO are brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act (28 U.S.C. § 1346(b)) against the United States. An administrative claim must be filed with the FAA within two years under 28 U.S.C. § 2401(b). The government may assert the discretionary function exception for policy-level decisions, but operational failures to follow mandatory ATC separation and approach sequencing procedures are not protected by that exception.

Filing Deadlines for San Francisco Airport Aviation Claims

Three deadlines govern SFO aviation claims depending on the facts. The two-year personal injury statute under Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 applies to domestic flight and ground operation claims. The six-month government tort claim deadline under Government Code § 911.2 applies to claims against the City and County of San Francisco. The two-year Montreal Convention deadline applies to international flight claims. Missing any of these deadlines can potentially bar a lawsuit. Whether a deadline applies, has run, or is subject to tolling requires individual analysis — contact Attorney Michael Rehm to assess the specific timeline in your case.

Attorney Michael Rehm represents aviation accident victims in San Francisco and throughout California on a contingency fee basis. No fee without a recovery. Call (800) 978-0754 to arrange a free consultation.

The information on this page is general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts. The law can change — statutes are amended, cases are decided, and regulations are revised; nothing on this page should be relied upon as a statement of current law without verification. Deadlines and legal bars discussed on this page are general guides — whether a particular deadline applies, has run, or is subject to tolling, and whether a particular doctrine bars or limits recovery in your case, requires individual analysis. Contact Attorney Michael Rehm to discuss the specific facts of your situation.