The families of the victims from the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 are suing. That’s why environmental justice advocates have filed a lawsuit against aerospace giants Boeing and Honeywell. The incident flight was enroute to London Gatwick. Tragically, it crashed just minutes after departure from Ahmedabad, resulting in the deaths of 260 individuals. This preventable disaster has placed a spotlight on the aircraft’s design and the companies’ duty to keep this aircraft safe.
Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787, came within a minute of disaster. At one point, the crew had mistakenly toggled a key control from “run” to “cut-off.” This move significantly reduced the available thrust of the aircraft, directly causing the crash. Preliminary findings from the United Kingdom’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) indicated that the switch movement was a major contributor to this tragedy. This tragic accident claimed the lives of 229 passengers, 12 crew members and 19 ground crew with Air India.
The AAIB’s report underscored a crucial advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Issued in 2018, the FAA called on operators to investigate thoroughly the locking mechanisms of fuel switches. Since this was only an advisory, it did not require these inspections raising concerns about safety practices and adherence to protocol.
Boeing and Honeywell understood the risks. The families’ lawsuit argues that Boeing and Honeywell were aware of the danger before the aircraft was designed. In practice, they did nothing useful to protect the public from their flaws. The families expressed their outrage, stating, “And what did Honeywell and Boeing do to prevent the inevitable catastrophe? Nothing.” They further described the design flaw as a “defect” that “allowed for inadvertent cutoff of fuel supply and total loss of thrust necessary to propel” the aircraft.
They slammed the lack of an adequate response by these companies. They found that the companies “sat idly” behind a weak advisory that merely suggested inspecting the switches. This delay of urgency is even more painful for the families who lost their loved ones in the crash.
While investigations are still work in progress, a more thorough accounting of the crash is slated to be released in 2026. The families are suing Boeing and Honeywell to make them accountable for their actions. They feel strongly that the pipeline companies acted recklessly.