The families of four victims have slapped Boeing and Honeywell with a lawsuit over the deadly Ahmedabad Air India crash. The lawsuit accuses the aerospace behemoths of negligence that allegedly led to the June 12 tragedy.
According to the lawsuit filed in the US, the two companies were aware of faulty fuel switches in the Boeing 787, but did “nothing” to address the risk. The fuel switches have become a focus for investigators after a preliminary inquiry found that fuel to the engines was cut off moments after the plane left the ground.
For context - the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in India killing 260 passengers and crew, with one British national miraculously surviving the crash.
The lawsuit is based on a 2018 FAA advisory. The advisory recommended, but did not mandate, operators of the Dreamliner, and other Boeing models, inspect the fuel cutoff switches’ locking mechanism to ensure it could not be accidentally moved.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary findings stated that Air India had not conducted the suggested inspections. Furthermore, it said that maintenance records showed that the plane’s throttle control module, which includes the fuel switches, was replaced in 2019 and 2023.
The lawsuit filed in the Delaware Superior Court appears to be the first in the US over the crash. Legal experts say lawyers representing air-crash victims’ families tend to target manufacturers because they do not face the same limits on liability enjoyed by airlines.
A more detailed report of the crash is expected sometime in 2026.
