On Sept. 16, families of four passengers who died in the June 12 Air India flight 171 crash filed a lawsuit against aircraft manufacturer Boeing and parts supplier Honeywell, the BBC reported.
According to the outlet, the suit accuses the corporations of negligence — «doing nothing» despite their alleged awareness of risks linked to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s design.
The preliminary inquiry determined that fuel access to both engines was cut off seconds after takeoff, prompting investigators to focus on the aircraft’s fuel cutoff switches. The families cite a 2018 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory that recommended — but did not require — operators inspect the switches’ locking mechanism to ensure they could not be accidentally moved in a way that would block fuel supply.
They argue this amounts to a design «defect» that «allowed for inadvertent cutoff of fuel supply and total loss of thrust necessary to propel» the aircraft.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) stated in its preliminary report that in the crash both switches were moved from the «run» to the «cutoff» position, causing the engines to lose thrust.
Air India Flight 171, traveling from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, claimed 260 lives, including passengers, crew, and people on the ground, after crashing into a doctors’ hostel.
