Families who lost kin in the Air India plane crash hire a US-based law firm, Beasley Allen, to seek justice, demanding crash data and accountability from authorities.
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GUJARAT: In the June 12 Air India plane crash that claimed 260 lives, including passengers and residents on the ground, at least 65 bereaved families from India and the United Kingdom have turned to prominent US-based law firm Beasley Allen for answers and accountability.
The tragedy unfolded when Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft bound for London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex in Ahmedabad’s Meghaninagar area shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The impact and resulting blaze killed 241 of the 242 people onboard, along with 19 individuals on the ground, among them four medical students
Aviation attorney Mike Andrews of Beasley Allen visited the crash site before meeting victim families in Vadodara. He emphasized that the families’ primary demand is for transparency, to know what happened, why it happened, and who is responsible.
“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,”
— Mike Andrews, Aviation Attorney, Beasley Allen
Andrews has urged the Union Government to release the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) information. He stressed that without this data, legal teams and independent experts cannot determine whether mechanical failure, design defects, or other factors contributed to the disaster.
Depending on the investigation’s findings, the families may pursue a product liability lawsuit in the United States, particularly if Boeing is found to be at fault. Such cases could be filed in a US federal court, where product liability laws can hold multinational corporations accountable.
“The US legal system allows families to stand on a level playing field with a multinational firm like Boeing and request accountability,”
— Mike Andrews
Addressing reports suggesting pilot error, Andrews cautioned that such narratives often originate from manufacturers seeking to deflect responsibility. He noted that pilots who perish in crashes are often blamed, unlike in incidents where survivors can defend their actions.
The law firm will continue meeting families in Surat and Diu before returning to Ahmedabad and later traveling to the UK to meet more relatives of the victims. The push for data transparency remains the central demand, as families want clarity on whether critical safety information is being withheld.
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