The families of four passengers who died in the crash of a Boeing plane of Air India on June 12 have filed a lawsuit claiming that the cause of the tragedy was faulty fuel switches. According to the lawsuit filed in the Delaware Supreme Court, the accident occurred just seconds after the takeoff of flight 171 to London from the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
The lawsuit accuses Boeing and Honeywell, who were involved in the replacement of the system, of causing the disaster. The plaintiffs reference a recommendation from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States from 2018, which advises but does not require operators of Boeing models, including the 787, to check the mechanism for locking fuel shutoff switches to avoid their accidental displacement.
According to a preliminary report from the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Air India did not perform the recommended checks. Technical records also indicate that the throttle control module containing the fuel shutoff switches was replaced in 2019 and 2023 on the aircraft that crashed.
According to the same report, all relevant directives and safety service bulletins were complied with on the aircraft and engines.
They say the culprits are the faulty fuel switches. The families of the deceased have approached the court, accusing Boeing and Honeywell of negligence. The recommendations that were not followed could prove decisive in this tragedy.