Marco Leon wrote:

That must be a sticky legal situation. As PIC, is the left seat pilot
responsible for wrestling the controls from the commercial pilot? Who would
the FAA be referring to when they say "pilot failed to..."?

The FAA has a long-standing practice of going after the pilot who has the most
advanced ratings. They have been known to violate pilots who were in parts of
the plane that made it impossible for them to take the controls. They almost
certainly will claim the commercial pilot was PIC. Not that it matters - there's
nothing to stop the FAA from violating both pilots.

How about the insurance company?

Depends on the policy. They almost certainly will pay off, but they may elect
to sue either or both of the pilots.

George Patterson
You can dress a hog in a tuxedo, but he still wants to roll in the mud.