The families of four passengers who died in the June 2025 Air India plane crash have sued Boeing and Honeywell.
The families of four of the 260 passengers who died in the Air India plane crash have filed a lawsuit against the aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
They have also filed a lawsuit against shipbuilding company Boeing and aerospace company Honeywell for negligence.
The families of four passengers who died in the Air India plane crash in June 2025 have filed a lawsuit against the aircraft manufacturer Boeing and Honeywell. They allege that 260 people died due to negligence and a faulty fuel control switch.
Air India flight number 171 from Ahmedabad to London crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12. In a lawsuit filed in a special court in Delaware, the victims allege that the crash was caused by a technical defect that could have caused the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner's switches to shut off unintentionally, cutting off the fuel supply and reducing the speed required for flight.
victims have also alleged that Boeing and Honeywell knew about the risk beforehand. According to them, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned about the vulnerability in Boeing planes in 2018.
The victims alleged that the switches in the cockpit were placed in such a way that they could be pressed accidentally. However, aviation security experts claim that due to the location and design of the switch, it cannot be simply pressed.
The preliminary report of India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has shown that there is a weakness in Air India inspection. According to maintenance records, the throttle control module with the fuel switch was replaced in 2019 and 2023 on the accident aircraft.
Cockpit recordings between the plane's two pilots showed the lead pilot shutting off the fuel flow to the plane's engines. In July, FA administrator Brian Bedford said he was confident the crash was not caused by mechanical problems or fuel control equipment.
However, some victims' families have criticized investigators and the media for focusing too much on the pilots' weaknesses.
This case is considered to be the first related to an air accident in America. Among the 229 passengers who died in it, the families of Kantaben Dhirubhai Paghadal, Navya Chirag Paghadal, Kuberbhai Patel and Babiben Patel have filed a lawsuit demanding compensation. According to
experts, US courts are more lenient to victims and do not have limits on compensation and damages paid by aircraft manufacturers like airlines, so lawsuits are brought directly against aircraft manufacturers.
Previously, Boeing incurred more than 20 billion dollars in legal and other expenses in two accidents of its 737 Max aircraft in 2018 and 2019. Also, the aircraft was banned from flying for 20 months.
