Ahmedabad crash victims' families sue Boeing and Honeywell over 'switch' row

The families of four victims of the tragic June 12 Air India crash have filed a lawsuit in a US court against aviation giants Boeing and Honeywell. The lawsuit, lodged in Delaware Superior Court, is believed to be the first US legal action related to the disaster of Flight 171, which resulted in the deaths of 260 people. The plaintiffs allege that the crash was caused by faulty fuel cutoff switches, which they claim were designed in a way that made them susceptible to accidental activation.

The lawsuit claims that the design and placement of the switches, manufactured by Honeywell and installed by Boeing, "effectively guaranteed" they could be triggered inadvertently during routine cockpit activity. The plaintiffs cite a 2018 advisory from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which recommended, but did not mandate, that operators of certain Boeing models, including the 787, inspect the locking mechanisms on these switches.

The core of the plaintiffs' argument is that the location of the switches, directly behind the thrust levers, made them prone to being moved to the "cutoff" position unintentionally. This assertion directly contradicts the opinion of some aviation safety experts, who have publicly stated that the switches' design and location make accidental activation highly unlikely. Despite the FAA stating that the switches do not appear to have caused the crash, the families hold Boeing and Honeywell jointly responsible for the accident.

According to a preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), a cockpit voice recording captured a conversation between the pilots, with one pilot asking the other, “Why did you shut off the fuel?” The other pilot denied doing so. Investigators found that the fuel switches had been flipped to "CUTOFF," which caused the engines to lose power. The crew attempted to restore power, but the aircraft had already lost critical thrust and crashed just 32 seconds after takeoff.

While the preliminary investigation focused on the pilots' actions and the movement of the switches, the lawsuit shifts the focus to the design of the aircraft's components. Legal analysts note that lawyers often target manufacturers in such cases because, unlike airlines, they do not have the same liability limits. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for the deaths of the four passengers: Kantaben Dhirubhai Paghadal, Naavya Chirag Paghadal, Kuberbhai Patel, and Babiben Patel.