Overview
With more than three decades of transportation law experience, Dane Jaques represents clients in high-profile matters involving National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigations and accident response, pipeline safety, transportation regulation, aviation law, litigation, appeals, and administrative proceedings. Dane makes it a priority to collaborate closely with clients from the onset, to alleviate common problems in the post-accident environment. He regularly handles air carrier, general aviation, railroad and pipeline accident investigations conducted by NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the US Chemical Safety Board, and many foreign accident investigation authorities. Dane's transportation clients also rely on his litigation prowess in various tort and business litigation pending in state courts, federal courts, and before the FAA, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), NTSB, PHMSA, and other US administrative agencies. Dane has represented transportation clients in more than 40 transportation safety investigations in all modes of transportation. He also conducts corporate investigations and handles FAA and TSA enforcement actions against aviation concerns and their employees.
As a former FAR Part 135 Captain and flight instructor with more than 3,000 flight hours, Dane's clients benefit from his first-hand knowledge and 360 degree perspective of the aviation industry. He frequently speaks on disaster response, NTSB, FAA, and PHMSA regulatory matters, as well as Unmanned Aircraft Systems. He co-founded and operated several small businesses, including a flight school and an insurance claim service. He also founded a charity, the Catastrophic Illness Assistance Foundation, and served as its first General Counsel.
- District of Columbia
- Illinois
- Virginia
- Supreme Court of the United States
- US Circuit Court, Cook County IL
- US District Court, Northern District of California
- US District Court, District of Colorado
- US District Court, District of Columbia
- US District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- US District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
- US District Court, District of Minnesota
- US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
- US Court of Appeals, First Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia
- US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
- J.D., University of Minnesota Law School, 1986, cum laude
Areas of Work
Representative Matters
- North Miami, Florida Passenger Rail Grade Crossing Accident
- Delray, Florida Passenger Rail Grade Crossing Accident
- Coolidge, Arizona Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion
- Fleming County, Kentucky Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion
- Lincoln County, Kentucky Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion
- Shelby County, Alabama, Pipeline Explosion
- UGI Utilities, Millersville, PA Pipeline Accident
- Southwest Airlines Flight 3472 (Pensacola, FL)
- Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two Accident (Mojave, CA)
- National Airlines Flight 102 (Afghanistan)
- Emirates Airline Flight 609 (Karachi, Pakistan)
- Reno Air Race (Reno, Nevada)
- Centreville, VA Pipeline Accident
- Puget Sound Energy, Seattle Pipeline Accident
- NiSource Columbia Gas, Sissonville, WV Pipeline Accident
- Pacific Gas & Electric, San Bruno, CA Pipeline Accident
- Pacific Gas & Electric, Rancho Cordova, CA Pipeline Accident
- TWA Flight 800 (off Long Island, New York)
- US Airways Flight 1549 (Hudson River)
- Alaska Airlines Flight 261 (Point Mugu, California)
- Colgan Air Flight 3407 (Buffalo, New York)
- US Air Flight 427 (Aliquippa, Pennsylvania)
- US Air Flight 1016 (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- US Air Flight 405 (LaGuardia, New York)
- Korean Air Flight 6316 (Shanghai, China)
- Northwest Airlines Flight 1482 (Detroit, Michigan)
- Corendon Airlines Flight 773 (Antalya, Turkey)
- Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 (Chicago, Illinois)
- Southwest Airlines Flight 345 (LaGuardia, NY)
- Southwest Airlines Flight 812 (Yuma, AZ)
- Southwest Airlines Flight 4013 (Branson, MO)
- United Airlines Flight 232 (Sioux City, Iowa)
- American Airlines Flight 191 (Chicago, Illinois)
- Flying Tigers Flight 66 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
- Trans States Airlines Flight 8050 (Ottawa, Ontario)
- Trans States Airlines Flight 3363 (Ottawa, Ontario)
- Air Serv International B-1900 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Hendrick G150 (Key West, FL)
- Blue Hawaiian Helicopters (Molokai, HI)
- CI Aleknagik, Alaska (involving Sen. Ted Stevens)
Speaking Engagements
-
"NTSB Investigation Procedures," Energy Association of PA's Mid-Atlantic Gas Transmission & Distribution Seminar, May 31, 2019
-
"Pipeline Accident Emergency Response - The National Transportation Safety Board," American Petroleum Institute 2019 Pipeline Conference, April 10, 2019
-
"Safety Challenges & Accident Reporting," ABA's Forum on Air & Space Law Drone Law Conference 2018, June 5, 2018
News & Publications
Client Alerts
Steptoe Executive Order on Competition (EOC) Tracker
July 21, 2021
By: Michael L. Weiner, Micah S. Green, Leslie A. Belcher, Christopher Bjornson, David H. Coburn, John J. Kavanagh, Douglas G. Green, Pantelis Michalopoulos, Scott A. Sinder, Bill Toth, Travis West, Peter W. Denton, Dane Jaques
Press Releases
Law360 Names Steptoe a 'Transportation Group of the Year' for Fourth Year
February 18, 2020
Media Mentions
Law360 Quotes Jaques, Lipe on 2020 Transportation Legislation, Regulation
January 6, 2020
Client Alerts
First Chemical Safety Board Report in Onshore Drilling Accident
June 20, 2019
By: Dane Jaques
Publications
Unpacking the New FAA Certification Requirement for UAS Delivery
Unmanned Aerial
March 20, 2019
By: Dane Jaques
Press Releases
Law360 Names Steptoe a 'Transportation Group of the Year' for Third Straight Year
March 4, 2019
Client Alerts
Court Orders Chemical Safety Board to Issue Reporting Rules for Chemical Releases
February 7, 2019
By: Seth Goldberg, Dane Jaques
Resources
Events
Webinars
Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Infrastructure Inspection
June 13, 2017
Speakers: Carol R. Gosain, Dane Jaques
Webinars
Real World Accident Response: The NTSB
February 28, 2017
Speakers: David H. Coburn, Dane Jaques
Webinars
Pipeline Accidents: Are You Prepared?
January 12, 2017
Speakers: Seth Goldberg, William T. Hassler, Dane Jaques, Joshua Runyan
Webinars
Pipeline Accidents: Are You Prepared?
December 1, 2016
Speakers: Dane Jaques, Joshua Runyan, Steven Reed
Noteworthy
- Chambers USA, Transportation: Aviation - Litigation, Nationwide (2016-2019)
- Legal 500 US, Industry Focus: Transport, Aviation and Air Travel - Litigation (2018-2019)
- Legal 500 US, Industry Focus: Transport, Aviation and Air Travel - Regulation (2018-2019)
- Legal 500 US, Industry Focus: Energy Litigation, Oil and Gas (2018)
- Legal 500 US, Product Liability and Mass Tort Defense: Aerospace/Aviation (2014)
Professional Affiliations
- Defense Research Institute
- American Bar Association