The families of four victims of the Air India Flight 171 crash in June have filed a lawsuit against aerospace giants Boeing and Honeywell, accusing them of negligence and manufacturing a defective fuel cutoff switch that allegedly caused the devastating accident, which killed 260 people, including passengers and crew.
The tragic crash occurred on 12 June, shortly after the aircraft departed Ahmedabad for London.
In the complaint, lodged in Delaware Superior Court, the plaintiffs argue that the locking mechanism on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s fuel cutoff switch was poorly designed and could be accidentally disengaged, leading to a sudden loss of fuel supply and engine thrust during the critical takeoff phase.
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According to the families, both Boeing, which installed the switch, and Honeywell, its manufacturer, were fully aware of the potential danger. They cite a 2018 warning issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which raised concerns over similar problems with disengaged locking mechanisms on several Boeing aircraft.
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A preliminary investigation conducted by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) revealed that Air India had failed to carry out the recommended safety checks. Maintenance records also showed that the throttle control module, which houses the fuel switches, had been replaced twice on the ill-fated aircraft—once in 2019 and again in 2023.
Data retrieved from the aircraft’s black box captured a conversation between the two pilots in the moments before the crash. The recordings suggested that the captain unintentionally shut off fuel to the engines, resulting in a complete loss of power.
The lawsuit contends that the placement of the fuel cutoff switches in the cockpit made them highly susceptible to accidental activation, stating:
“The design effectively ensured that routine cockpit movements could inadvertently trigger a fuel cutoff, jeopardizing the safety of the flight.”
Boeing, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, declined to issue a statement on the matter. Honeywell, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has yet to respond to media inquiries. Both corporations are registered in Delaware, where the lawsuit was filed.
This legal action is believed to be the first lawsuit filed in the United States related to the disaster. The families are seeking unspecified compensation for the deaths of Kantaben Dhirubhai Paghadal, Naavya Chirag Paghadal, Kuberbhai Patel, and Babiben Patel—all among the 229 passengers who lost their lives.
In addition to the passengers, 12 crew members and 19 people on the ground were killed when the aircraft crashed. Remarkably, one passenger survived the accident. The plaintiffs are citizens of either India or the United Kingdom.
So far, investigators from India, the UK, and the US have not reached a final conclusion on the exact cause of the crash. While the AAIB’s initial findings in July appeared to clear Boeing and engine-maker GE Aerospace of direct responsibility, some victim advocacy groups have criticised both the investigation and the media for focusing too heavily on pilot error rather than potential mechanical and design flaws.
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