The families of four passengers who died in the Air India Flight 171 crash in June have filed a lawsuit in the United States against aerospace giants Boeing and Honeywell, accusing them of negligence and design flaws in the aircraft’s fuel system.
The complaint, filed on Tuesday in Delaware Superior Court and seen by BBC, alleges that faulty fuel cutoff switches caused the accident.
The families say both companies were aware of the risk but did “nothing” to prevent disaster.
“And what did Honeywell and Boeing do to prevent the inevitable catastrophe? Nothing,” the lawsuit states.
Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 260 people — including 229 passengers, 12 cabin crew, and 19 people on the ground. One passenger survived.
Investigators have zeroed in on the plane’s fuel switches after India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said a switch had moved from “run” to “cut-off” just after takeoff, cutting fuel supply to the engines.
A cockpit recording suggested the captain may have cut fuel flow to the engines, though the final cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
A more detailed report is expected in 2026.
The lawsuit said that the switches’ design “allowed for inadvertent cutoff of fuel supply and total loss of thrust necessary to propel” the plane.
It also argued that their placement in the cockpit “effectively guaranteed that normal cockpit activity could result in inadvertent fuel cutoff.” The plaintiffs accused Boeing and Honeywell of failing to warn airlines or supply replacement parts, instead relying on a “gentle advisory” that merely recommended inspections.
The allegations cite a 2018 advisory from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which urged — but did not mandate — operators to check fuel switch locking mechanisms to prevent accidental movement.
The AAIB’s preliminary report also found that Air India had not carried out the recommended inspections and that the throttle control module, where the switches are located, was replaced in 2019 and 2023 on the plane involved in the crash.
Both companies have not commented.
Boeing, based in Arlington, Virginia, pointed to the AAIB’s preliminary findings but declined further remarks, while Honeywell, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has not responded to requests for comment.
The FAA has previously said Boeing’s fuel control switches are safe.
Aviation safety experts told Reuters that the switches could not be accidentally flipped based on their design and position, casting doubt on the lawsuit’s claims.
FAA administrator Bryan Bedford also expressed a “high level of confidence” in July that neither a mechanical failure nor inadvertent movement of the fuel controls was responsible.
The suit seeks unspecified damages for the deaths of Kantaben Dhirubhai Paghadal, Naavya Chirag Paghadal, Kuberbhai Patel, and Babiben Patel. The plaintiffs are citizens of India and the UK.
Legal analysts note that such lawsuits often target manufacturers rather than airlines, as they face fewer liability protections and US courts are viewed as more favorable to plaintiffs.
Boeing has already faced more than $20 billion in legal and compensation costs from two fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, when its best-selling jet was grounded worldwide for 20 months.