Families Of 4 Air India Ahmedabad Plane Crash Victims Sue Boeing In US Court

Mumbai:

Families of four passengers who perished in the Air India plane crash this June have initiated a lawsuit against Boeing and Honeywell International in a US court. The legal action alleges that a defective fuel cutoff switch contributed to the tragic accident, according to a statement released.

The lawsuit seeks both compensatory and punitive damages against the defendants for the wrongful deaths of four passengers aboard flight 171, as announced by US-based The Lanier Law Firm.

In one of India's worst aviation disasters, 260 people, including 241 passengers, lost their lives when Tata Group-owned Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating as flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12.

According to the lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court by The Lanier Law Firm, flight data suggests an Air India pilot accidentally deactivated fuel to the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner's engines, resulting in complete thrust loss necessary for takeoff.

The fuel cutoff switch, manufactured by Honeywell and installed by Boeing, features a locking mechanism designed to prevent unintended interruption of fuel supply to engines during flight.

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is investigating one of the country's deadliest air disasters in over three decades, stated in its preliminary report that fuel switches to the aircraft's engines were cut off within a 1-second interval immediately after takeoff, causing confusion in the cockpit before the crash.

"In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot is heard asking the other why he cut off (the switch). The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report noted.

However, the lawsuit contends these switches are positioned in a "high traffic" location immediately behind and adjacent to the thrust levers that pilots continuously adjust during takeoff.

"Additionally, documents reveal that both Honeywell and Boeing knew the locking mechanism could easily be inadvertently deactivated or could be missing entirely," the lawsuit claims.

This assertion is supported by a 2018 Federal Aviation Administration report confirming that Boeing and Honeywell were aware switches were being delivered on aircraft with disengaged locking mechanisms, allowing for "unintended" fuel cutoff mid-flight, according to the law firm.

"However, there is no evidence the companies alerted Air India or other customers that the switches required inspection and repair for passenger safety, nor did they ship replacement switches to airlines for installation," the firm stated.

It should be noted that following the preliminary AAIB findings, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal who piloted the ill-fated Air India Dreamliner, has requested a 'formal investigation' by the central government.

In correspondence to the civil aviation secretary and AAIB Director General, 91-year-old Pushkaraj stated that selective information leaks about the accident have generated speculation that Sumeet (56) was under extreme psychological pressure and contemplating suicide.

"These innuendos have severely affected my health and mental state as well as Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's reputation, which constitutes a fundamental right guaranteed to Indian citizens under Article 21 of the Constitution," the August 29 letter stated.

"It is shocking that Honeywell and Boeing both recognized this danger yet did absolutely nothing to prevent the inevitable catastrophe that occurred on June 12," remarked Benjamin Major of The Lanier Law Firm, co-counsel for the families.

"This defect is comparable to an auto manufacturer installing an unprotected emergency brake control next to a radio volume knob in your car. Unlike a car, restarting jet engines requires minutes, not seconds. Once these engines shut down, the aircraft essentially became a 250,000-pound lawn dart," he added.

According to the lawsuit, "both switches on the Flight 171 aircraft suddenly and inadvertently moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' position just three seconds after takeoff, completely severing fuel supply to both engines.

"A cockpit voice recorder captured a brief exchange between pilots, indicating neither intended to shut off fuel to the aircraft. Despite the pilots' attempts to restore engine power, insufficient time remained for the engines to restart and provide adequate thrust to prevent the crash," according to the law firm.