AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2018 - 110

NEWS & NOTES

MEMBER SERVICES

Minor or major?
With significant claims, the process
is more involved

BY JIM PINEGAR

AOPA Insurance Services

BY JIM PINEGAR
INSURANCE CLAIMS ARE DIVIDED into
two categories: minor and significant.
Some examples of a minor claim are
hangar rash, damage from a hard landing, and a prop strike. These are the
day-to-day "dings" that happen to aircraft. Minor claims typically don't have
injuries or third-party liability claims
(damaging someone's property).
It used to be that insurance adjusters were on the road all the time, driving
from airport to airport, to witness and
record first-hand any damage done to an
airplane. The utility of smartphones has
changed that. Now pilots take a photo
of the damage, fill out a report or compose a description, and send it all to their
insurance company's email. The insurance carrier calls the repair facility-and
often two or three other shops-to get an
estimate of repair costs. The insurance
company schedules repairs and directly
pays the facility.
Most claims are minor and the pilot/
owner functions as his or her own

insurance adjuster; with a few photos
and a phone call, the repair process is
started.
In the case of significant aircraft
damage, significant property damage, or
major bodily injuries, the claims process
begins with a call to a broker or insurance carrier or an insurance adjuster
to view the damage to assess cause and
extent of repairs. With claims involving
significant injuries, the adjuster usually
interviews the pilot and passengers, the
FAA, the local police, airport personnel,
the NTSB, and any witnesses to the accident or incident.
In most cases, the pilot or aircraft
owner is the one who initiates the
claims process. The exception is when
it comes to significant damage by floods,
tornadoes, or hurricanes. Insurance
companies send adjusters to look in
areas of catastrophic losses. The adjusters go airport to airport, looking at N
numbers, and finding their customers.
When a match is made, the adjusters

initiate the claims process to speed up
recovery time.
Most pilots will enjoy a lifetime of
flying without making a claim, but the
possibility of damage to your airplane
is always there. Savvy pilots have a fully
charged smartphone and their insurance
company's contact information when
they fly.
JIM PINEGAR is president of AOPA Aviation

Insurance Services.

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Low performance was just fine when
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www.aopa.org/finance1805pilot

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110 | AOPA PILOT May 2018

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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2018

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