Air India Crash Victims' Families Hire US Law Firm, Attorney Visits Gujarat

Vadodara: Next of kin of at least 65 of those killed in the devastating Air India crash of June 12 in Ahmedabad have hired US-based law firm Beasley Allen. The firm’s aviation attorney Mike Andrews visited the crash site in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad and then went to Vadodara to meet some of the families.

Speaking to the media 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. The families that have contacted the law firm want to know what happened, why it happened and the options available to them, he said.

Now, the firm is pressing the government to release crucial flight recorder data to determine liability in the tragedy. Andrews urged the Centre 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 that fateful day, Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to Gatwick in London, crashed into a medical college hostel complex shortly after take off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. The crash resulted in the deaths of 260 people, including 19 on the ground.

“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,” Andrews said.

According to his media team, the majority of those 65 families from India and U.K. 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,” the attorney added.

The best place to hold companies accountable is the USA using product liability laws available there, he said.

“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. We don’t know whose error it was. The allegation is that a switch was moved. 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.

The aviation.lawyer 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”.

“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.” Andrews said when asked whether Indian pilots are being targeted.

He will travel to Surat from Vadodara, and then to Diu to meet the families who have agreed to pursue the matter.