Floyd A. Wisner


Patrick Nunan


Nicholas Hantel

FLOYD A. WISNER

Principal of Wisner Law Firm

The principal of Wisner Law Firm, Floyd A. Wisner, is approaching his 30th year in the practice of law. He is a veteran skilled litigator who has successfully represented clients in virtually every air crash over the past decade.

Mr. Wisner has served as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, leading the multi-district consolidated litigation arising from the aviation disasters of American Airlines Flight 587 at Belle Harbor, New York, Swiss Air Flight 111 in Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, Egypt Air Flight 990 off Nantucket, Massachusetts, Silk Air Flight 185 near Palembang, Indonesia, and TWA Flight 800 off Long Island, New York. Mr Wisner also has represented clients arising from the World Trade Center attacks, and he was, or is, the sole lead attorney for 86 victims of the crash of Garuda Indonesia Fight 152 and 56 victims of the crash of Austral Flight 2553.

Mr. Wisner is a summa cum laude graduate of DePaul University and a magna cum laude graduate of DePaul College of Law where he was Executive Editor of the DePaul Law Review and a member of the National Moot Court Team. Mr. Wisner has the advantage, unique among plaintiffs’ aviation attorneys, of having started his career with two of the nation’s largest, most prestigious firms, representing Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London. Lloyd’s insures many of the world’s airlines and aircraft and component manufacturers. Mr. Wisner therefore has invaluable knowledge of the Lloyd’s aviation insurance market which Mr. Wisner has used to further assist his aviation clients.

Mr. Wisner has won significant, ground-breaking victories for his clients in difficult, complex cases before U.S. federal and state trial and appellate courts throughout the United States. Mr. Wisner has obtained record recoveries from U.S. and foreign airlines and aircraft and component parts manufacturers in actions arising from both US and overseas air crashes.

The multi-million dollar recoveries Mr. Wisner has obtained for his clients have helped those clients begin to rebuild lives shattered by these tragedies. Mr. Wisner takes great personal and professional satisfaction in the help he has been able to provide to his clients and to the life-saving aviation safety changes which have resulted, in part, from his efforts.

Mr. Wisner is an active member of several bar associations, a frequent speaker on aviation law topics, and the subject of international news articles and television interviews. However, he is most proud of, and grateful for, the appreciation and recommendations of his many clients.

To view litigation experience for Floyd, CLICK HERE.

PATRICK NUNAN

Cooperating International Aviation Counsel

The Firm - Cleary & Lee of Toowomba, Australia

Patrick T. Nunan - Aviation/Maritime Litigation Specialist
Mr. Patrick Nunan has been a Partner at Cleary & Lee since 1974. Since 1980 he has been the Litigation Partner and has been involved in international Aviation/Maritime Litigation since 1981.

Mr Nunan is familiar with the USA court processes and has partaken in depositions and the discovery processes in these cases in various locations in South East Asia.

Mr Nunan is a highly regarded aviation attorney with experience in aviation litigation in the USA, Asia, Germany, Great Britain, the Middle East and throughout South East Asia and Oceania.

Overseas Cases

1. Egypt Air Flight 990 Crash - 31.10.99
An Egypt Air Boeing 767 crashed off the East Coast of the USA on 31 October 1999 killing all 217 passengers. Mr Nunan represents 52 Egyptian families in this crash.

2. Silk Air Crash - 19.12.97
A Silk Air Boeing 737 crashed into a Sumatran river in Indonesia on 19 December 1997. Mr Nunan’s clients include Australian and Indonesian families.

3. Garuda Indonesia Airlines Flight 152 Crash near Medan Indonesia - 26.09.97
An Airbus A300 aircraft being operated as Garuda Indonesia Flight GA-152 flying from Jakarta to Medan crashed on 26 September 1997. Mr Nunan acted for 22 Indonesian families who lost loved ones in this crash. These cases settled in September/October 2003 with substantial payments made to the plaintiffs.

4. Sinking of Marika 7 - 02.01.94
The Marika 7 sank off the Philippines with the loss of 24 Filipino and Greek seaman. Mr Nunan represents 19 families from the Philippines whose loved ones drowned in this maritime disaster.

5. Beechcraft King Air VH-SKC Crash Burketown Queensland - 05.09.00
A Beechcraft King Air operated by Central Air Pty Ltd took off from Perth, Western Australia on 5 September 2000 destined for Leonora, WA. It crashed after travelling almost the breadth of Australia before impacting in Queensland killing all 8 passengers and crew. Mr Nunan is acting for two families of victims of this unusual crash.

6. Airfast Services Indonesian DC3 Crash Pekanbaru Indonesia - 28.04.81
A DC3 carrying oil drillers returning to their oilrig off Sumatra crashed short of Pekanbaru airport resulting in the death or injury of the passengers and crew. Mr Nunan acted for an injured Australian passenger and was successful in achieving a substantial damages claim from the defendant.

7. Bell 206 Jet Ranger Crash Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia - 03.03.91
A Seaworld Jet Ranger Helicopter operated by the theme park operator, SeaWorld crashed on 3 March 1991 at the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, killing all five passengers and pilot. Mr Nunan represented all the family members of the victims and pilot against Bell Helicopter.

8. Bell 206 Jet Ranger Crash Pacific Ocean Gladstone, Queensland, Australia - 28.07.93
A Bell 206 Jet Ranger operated by Lloyds Helicopters crashed into the sea off Gladstone on 28 July 1993. Mr Nunan acted for the pilot and passengers who were killed or injured in this crash.

9. Bell 212 Jet Ranger Crash in the ocean off Indonesia - 1993
A Bell 212 operated by an Indonesian company lost power and ditched into the sea off an Indonesian island. Mr Nunan acted for the pilot and passengers who were killed or injured in this crash.

10. Transavia Air Truck Crash Tasmania, Australia - 1992
The pilot of this aircraft had the terrifying experience of loosing a propeller blade in flight whilst cropdusting in Northwest Tasmania, Australia in 1992. Mr Nunan acted for the pilot in an action against the propeller’s manufacturer, Hartzell Propeller Inc. of Piqua, Ohio.

11. Lockheed C130 Hercules Crash Hong Kong Airport - 1994
A Hercules contracted to the UN crashed on takeoff from Hong Kong Airport in 1994 killing 6 and badly injuring another 6. Mr Nunan acted for the families of the 12 Indonesian crew who were killed or injured in this crash.

12. Robinson R22 Helicopter Crash North Queensland Australia - 1993.
An R 22 crashed whilst the pilot was mustering cattle near Charters Towers in North Queensland in 1993. Mr Nunan acted for the family of the pilot who died in this crash.

13. Garuda Indonesia Airlines Flight GA 421 Crash Central Java Indonesia - 10.01.2002.
A Garuda Boeing 737 - 300 Registered Number PK-GWA experienced a double engine flameout when the aircraft entered severe turbulence and heavy storm and rain on 16 January, 2002. The pilot was unable to restart the engines and with great skill, crash landed the plane on a river near Klaten, Central Java. Of the sixty crew and passengers, one crew was killed with forty-four passengers and crew injured. Mr Nunan acts for twenty-seven Indonesian families in this crash.

Nicholas Hantel

Nick Hantel joins Wisner law with nine years of experience in the aviation industry. A commercial pilot by training, Mr. Hantel has flown professionally, worked in the safety department of a major US airline, and earned a number of licenses and ratings from the FAA. He has focused exclusively upon aviation matters since beginning his legal career and brings unique perspective and insight into the needs of his clients.

Mr. Hantel graduated in 2009 from DePaul College of Law. He was a member of the National Moot Court team, and won individual awards at nationwide moot court competitions in both 2008 and 2009. In his spare time, Mr. Hantel serves as pro bono counsel to several Chicago-area religious organizations.