At least 65 families from India and the United Kingdom who lost kin in the horrific June 12 Air India plane crash have hired prominent United States-based law firm Beasley Allen.
The law firm's aviation attorney Mike Andrews visited the crash site in Meghaninagar area in Ahmedabad before coming to Vadodara city, where he met some of the victim families.
While talking to the reporters here on Friday, Andrews said the families have an option of filing a product liability claim in a US court depending on the findings of the ongoing investigation.
Families who have contacted the law firm want to know what happened, why it happened and what are the options they have, Andrews added.
He urged the Union government to release the data of the flight data recorder as well as cockpit voice recorder so that lawyers and experts can analyse it and explore further legal options.
On June 12, Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft burst into flames, killing 241 out of 242 people onboard and 19 individuals on the ground, including four medical students.
"We visited the crash site and spoke with some of the individuals who were there. We were able to take some photographs and get a feeling of the size of the scene. We met families from the UK and India, and they all expressed their burning desire for answers, for transparency and information," said Andrews.
According to his media team, the majority of those 65 families from India and UK hail from Gujarat and neighbouring Diu.
"We currently represent 65 families who are citizens of both India and the UK. Legal options are based on the data and what investigations reveal. It will give us an idea which entity may or may not be responsible. If Boeing is found to be responsible for this crash, we anticipate the cases will be filed in the Federal court in the US," said Andrews.
He asserted the best place to hold companies accountable is in the USA using product liability laws available there.
"The US legal system is set up in a way that an individual, a consumer or family, can stand on a level playing field with a multinational firm such as Boeing, look them in the eye and request accountability," he claimed.
"We don't know whose error was that. The allegation is that a switch was removed. A very small piece of information has been released from the cockpit voice recorder. What we don't know is the larger context, what other conversations were held between the pilots. Once we have data, we will know that," he added.
Andrews claimed a report suggesting pilot error in the crash was a "narrative typically originated from the manufacturer and its an attempt to deflect focus from their product".
When asked if Indian pilots are purposefully blamed in this case, he said, "Not just Indian pilots, more often than not, pilots who are dead are the ones who are blamed. In other incidents wherein planes landed safely, those pilots were not blamed, because those pilots can speak for themselves." He emphasised that until the data of the crash is made available, it is difficult to find out what exactly happened and whether something has been hidden intentionally.
"Families want data to be released to their attorneys and experts. We know Air India and the Indian government have this information. It is time to reveal that data so that experts can help families understand," he said.
From Vadodara, Andrews will travel to Surat and then to Diu to meet the families who have agreed to pursue the case.
Before leaving for the United Kingdowm, he will visit Ahmedabad and meet the kin of the victims, said his team.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
