Families of Air India crash victims may file lawsuit against Boeing in US, UK: Report

Legal teams from the US and the UK are preparing to file lawsuits against aircraft manufacturer Boeing in the two countries over the Air India crash in Ahmedabad on June12, which killed all but one of the 242 on board, NDTV reported, quoting sources.
In a statement earlier, the airline had said that the plane was "well-maintained" and that the pilots were well-experienced.
The teams are working with the families of the victims and are seeking to explore their legal rights under existing international law.
The initiative is led by James Healy-Pratt and Owen Hanna from UK-based Keystone Law, along with aviation experts from the US-based Wisner Law Firm, NDTV reported.
James Healy-Pratt, partner at Keystone Law, who is involved in the firm's investigation, told Economic Times that their international legal team has been in talks with the families of those who died in the crash over the past week.
He added that they are closely reviewing all the evidence and are considering filing a lawsuit against Boeing in the US, along with a similar case against Air India in the High Court in London.
Meanwhile, the preliminary probe report on the Air India crash, in which 270 people were killed, including 241 on board the flight, is expected to be released by July 11, media reports said.
The document, which is likely to be four to five pages long, will be crucial as it will provide initial insights into the crash, including the possible causes.
NDTV, quoting sources, said the report will include details about the aircraft, which was a Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, the crew, conditions at the Ahmedabad airport, and the weather on June 12, when Air India flight 171 crashed, roughly 30 seconds after takeoff.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), meanwhile, is investigating all possible causes, including sabotage, behind last month’s Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed 274 people on board and on the ground, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol has said.
The aircraft lost altitude shortly after takeoff and crashed into the residential quarters of doctors from BJ Medical College in the Meghaninagar area.
It went up in flames, sending thick black smoke into the sky.
The crash left 34 people dead on the ground.