Families of Air India Flight 171 crash victims sue Boeing, Honeywell over faulty fuel switch
PTC Web Desk: Families of four passengers who lost their lives in the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 have filed a lawsuit in the United States against Boeing and Honeywell, alleging negligence and design flaws that led to the disaster.
The Dreamliner aircraft, a Boeing 787-8, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12 while en route to London, killing 260 persons. The victims included 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 persons on the ground. Only one passenger survived.
According to the complaint filed Tuesday in Delaware Superior Court, the plaintiffs accuse Boeing and Honeywell of failing to address a known risk in the aircraft’s fuel cutoff system. The lawsuit claims the locking mechanism of the fuel cutoff switch, installed behind the thrust levers, could be inadvertently disengaged during normal cockpit operations, cutting off fuel supply and thrust essential for takeoff.
The families argued that Boeing and Honeywell were aware of this danger, especially after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a safety warning in 2018 about disengaged locking mechanisms in Boeing aircraft. Despite this, they allege no corrective action was taken.
The complaint stated: “By placing the switch directly behind thrust levers, Boeing effectively guaranteed that normal cockpit activity could result in inadvertent fuel cutoff. What did Honeywell and Boeing do to prevent the inevitable catastrophe? Nothing.”
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for the deaths of Kantaben Dhirubhai Paghadal, Naavya Chirag Paghadal, Kuberbhai Patel, and Babiben Patel. The plaintiffs are citizens of India and the United Kingdom.
Boeing, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, declined to comment, while Honeywell, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, did not immediately respond. Both corporations are incorporated in Delaware.
This appears to be the first lawsuit filed in the United States related to the crash. Investigations by Indian, UK, and American authorities have not yet conclusively determined the cause. A preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in July highlighted cockpit confusion during the critical moments before the crash.
In the same month, US FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said he had a “high level of confidence” that mechanical issues or inadvertent fuel control movements were not responsible.
The tragedy adds to Boeing’s legal troubles. The aerospace giant has already incurred over $20 billion in costs from lawsuits and settlements related to the two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, which led to a 20-month global grounding of its best-selling aircraft.
- With inputs from agencies
