Families of Air India crash victims file lawsuit in Delaware court

 

 

 

PP Cherian, Dallas

Wilmington, DE: The families of four people who died in the Air India crash in June have filed a lawsuit in Delaware. They accuse aerospace giants Boeing and Honeywell of causing the disaster.

The complaint, filed in Superior Court on September 16, seeks compensation for the deaths of Kantaben Dhirubhai Paghatal, Navya Chirag Paghatal, Kuberbhai Patel and Babiben Patel, who were among the 260 people killed when Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad to London.

The lawsuit alleges that a faulty fuel cutoff switch installed by Boeing on the 787-8 Dreamliner, manufactured by Honeywell, could have been accidentally tripped because of its design and location in the cockpit. The families argue that the fault caused the loss of fuel supply and the thrust needed for takeoff.

However, investigators have not been able to reach a definitive conclusion about the cause. A preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in July indicated that Air India had skipped recommended inspections and had replaced the throttle control module twice in recent years. A cockpit recording indicated that the captain had intentionally cut off fuel flow to the engines. However, aviation safety experts told Reuters that the switches were unlikely to be accidentally tripped because of their location and design.

The investigation has so far pointed to a mechanical failure. FAA Administrator Brian Bedford said in July that he had a “high level of confidence” that a malfunction or inadvertent movement of fuel controls did not cause the crash.

While the AAIB’s initial findings appeared to exonerate Boeing and GE Aerospace, the families accuse regulators and the media of focusing too narrowly on pilot error.

Legal experts told Reuters that suing manufacturers is a common tactic in aviation cases because airlines enjoy liability protections that corporations do not. The Delaware case is the first known U.S. case related to the Air India disaster, which killed 229 passengers, 12 crew members and 19 others. One passenger survived. The plaintiffs are citizens of India and the United Kingdom.