Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
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By Dodo
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1795056
Theoretically, if an aircraft in which a pilot A had a share was written off by another group member (let's call them pilot B), and received a share of the payout, would pilot A have to declare that as a previous claim when his own insurance on another aircraft was due?
By Gas Guzzler
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1795057
I suspect the answer is YES, but the only way to find out for sure is to ask your insurer, in which case you will have effectivly notified them anyway. If you don't you certainly risk having your policy cancelled or any future claim not paid out.
#1795063
I know some insurance law (though it's not my specialist field) and I'd say CERTAINLY Yes.

It will be a claim which you made (jointly with the other pilot) on that insurance policy. The question is not whether you had an accident, but whether you made a claim.

At least, unlike motoring, this won't automatically increase your premium (it might do though) because aviation insurers look at the actual claim and risk it creates, not just the statistical effect.
By adambsmith
#1795067
The best policy with any insurer/insurance policy is to give full information and let the insurer decide if that information is valid. Why risk having a claim turned down?

Always keep a record of what you have told the insurer/broker.
By Buzz53
#1795200
Spookily I had this very conversation 2 hours ago with Katy at Visicover. I already have my own aircraft insured there and we are about to place another syndicate machine with them. I assumed it would be simplest to just insure it under my “account” as I had already created a quote using it, but Katy explained that (to my surprise) in the event of one of my partners having an accident we would both be tainted just as the OP described, since as the policy holder, I am making the claim.

The way to do it apparently is to have a new name which you just make up with no legal formality and which appears as the Policy Holder so e.g. “The Jolly Crashproof Syndicate”. The partners are named as owners elsewhere in the policy. If there’s a prang, only the pilot is tainted. If there’s a payout, it will be direct to the partners following discussion with the underwriters.

I suspect this is what we’ve actually been doing for years anyway, without realising the significance.

Alan (hopefully all remembered correctly)
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By Dodo
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1795209
Theoretically, the OP may have had a similar discussion with Visicover and is now waiting for a look at the insurance policy documents of the damaged group aircraft!