Ahmedabad Air India Crash: Families Of Victims Sue Boeing, Honeywell Over Fuel Switch Defects: Report

The families of four passengers killed in the June 12, 2025, Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad have filed a lawsuit in the United States, claiming that defective fuel switches contributed to the tragedy that claimed 260 lives. The case, filed on Sept. 16 in Delaware Superior Court, names Boeing and Honeywell, the manufacturer of the switches, as defendants, according to a Reuters report.

The suit centres on Flight 171, which crashed shortly after departing from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, for London. It cites a 2018 advisory issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which recommended, but did not mandate, that operators of certain Boeing models, including the 787, check the fuel cutoff switches to ensure they could not be accidentally moved. According to the plaintiffs, Air India did not conduct the recommended inspections, and maintenance records show that the throttle control module, which houses the fuel switches, was replaced in 2019 and 2023, the Reuters report added.

The preliminary investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) stated that “all applicable airworthiness directives and alert service bulletins were complied with on the aircraft as well as engines.” According to reports, a preliminary probe suggested fuel to the engines was cut off moments after the takeoff. 

The lawsuit says that the placement of the switches in the cockpit makes them more susceptible to accidental activation, stating that this “effectively guaranteed that normal cockpit activity could result in inadvertent fuel cutoff.” However, aviation safety experts told Reuters that the switches’ location and design make accidental activation unlikely.

This appears to be the first US lawsuit linked to the crash. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for the deaths of Kantaben Dhirubhai Paghadal, Naavya Chirag Paghadal, Kuberbhai Patel and Babiben Patel. They were among the 229 passengers who died. Twelve crew members and 19 people on the ground were also killed, while one passenger survived.

According to Reuters, Boeing declined to comment and Honeywell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As per the news agency, while India’s preliminary report largely cleared Boeing and GE Aerospace, the families of a few victims have criticised the investigators and media coverage as overly focused on pilot actions. Legal experts say that suing manufacturers is a common strategy in aviation cases, as airlines benefit from liability limits while US courts are often more favourable to plaintiffs.