NEW DELHI– At least 65 families from India and the United Kingdom who lost loved ones in the June 12 Air India crash have retained prominent U.S. law firm Beasley Allen to explore potential legal action—possibly in American courts.
Mike Andrews, the firm’s lead aviation attorney, traveled to the crash site in Ahmedabad’s Meghaninagar neighborhood before continuing on to Vadodara, where he met with several grieving families.
“These families are desperate for justice, transparency, and answers about what led to this horrific tragedy,” Andrews told reporters on Friday. “Many of them want to understand what happened, why it happened, and what their legal options are.”
Andrews said most of the 65 families his firm now represents are from Gujarat and the Union Territory of Diu, with many being Indian-born British nationals.
Depending on the findings of the ongoing investigation, he said the families could pursue a product liability lawsuit in the United States, particularly if Boeing is found to be at fault.
“We expect these cases to be filed in U.S. federal court if Boeing is determined to bear responsibility,” Andrews said, noting that U.S. product liability laws provide stronger mechanisms for holding corporations accountable.
He also urged the Indian government to release the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to allow independent experts and legal teams to conduct a thorough analysis.
“Our team has already visited the crash site, documented the scene with photographs, and interviewed eyewitnesses,” Andrews said. “The scale of devastation is overwhelming.”
The disaster occurred shortly after Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London Gatwick, took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
The aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel complex in Meghaninagar and caught fire, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, as well as 19 individuals on the ground—including several medical students. (Source: IANS)
