malpractice Insurance
 

Seems any one of us can be tomorrow's headlines in today's 24/7 news cycles, passengers Tweeting in real-time, etc. Like "Don't turn sharp when taxiing" (Have someone lift the tail around). We're often men and women of dash and predilection for hazard. Our manuals are ever changing, and at times seems difficult to stay on our craft. It's not artful any longer, just science - written by lawyers now. We need a 'parachute' of sorts. Is the any way we can protect ourselves from the perils of termination? Murphy's Law you know, for the dreaded "pilot error" verdict. I'm thinking of having something similar to what Physicians have, namely professional liability insurance, like "Malpractice Insurance." Not as much as being sued, but from the loss of income you'd certainly not have if terminated. Does it exist for us? Who moved my cheese!? You're fired, career over. Flying is risk adverse, these days, so is keeping your job! just remember your certificates are still on the line. I don't think there is ANY insurance that can protect you from the FAA... if there is, sign me up!

The critical difference is that doctors are seldom able to damage more than one person at a time yet the multi $M settlements that follow make their insurance cripplingly expensive.

What insurance company in its right mind would expose itself to a potential 500 times that multi $M - or even more?
And what would the premium have to be if they did?

Insurance for error - perhaps. Malpractice? No, ain't ever gonna happen.

The name used by the insurance industry is Professional Indemnity Cover Mic Dundee, go see an accredited Lloyds broker and he will approach the market. There are underwriters who specialise in this kind of risk so you may get a quote but be prepared to have to answer a lot of questions, be prepared for a lot of exclusions and above all, as AB has said, be prepared for a hefty premium. Probably been tried before!

Do we really need insurance? Unlike doctors, we normally suffer the same fate as the victims. We are normally the first ones to get the chop and the last thing that goes through your mind in a crash are the feet of the passenger sat in 32D.

Surely you are insured by your airline?

Probably not for malpractice, and if the pax decide to sue you personally and not the airline that probably wouldn't apply anyway.
Also if the accident sent the airline to the wall - as it might well do these days, by the time the court case came around there might not be anyone to sue but you, or your estate.

I think it would have to be negligence verging on the reckless for there to be any cause of action against a pilot doing their job, even if they fell below normal standards of competence. You can't stop someone suing an individual but the pilot would simply join in the airline in accordance with the doctrine of vicarious liability etc.