65 families of the Air India crash victims have hired US law firm Beasley Allen.
The firm is considering a product liability lawsuit against Boeing in the U.S., pending investigation results.
Lawyers are urging the Indian government to release the flight and cockpit voice recorder data for analysis.
At least 65 families from India and the United Kingdom who lost relatives in the June 12 Air India plane crash have hired the United States-based law firm Beasley Allen.
Mike Andrews, an aviation attorney with the firm, visited the crash site in the Meghaninagar area of Ahmedabad before meeting with some of the victims' families in Vadodara today. The majority of the 65 families represented by the firm are from Gujarat and the neighbouring territory of Diu, reported PTI.
Andrews stated that the families have the option of filing a product liability claim in a U.S. court, with the course of action depending on the findings of the ongoing investigation. He said the families want to know “what happened, why it happened, and what their options are.”
"We visited the crash site and spoke with some of the individuals who were there... We met families from the UK and India, and they all expressed their burning desire for answers, for transparency and information," said Andrews.
According to PTI, he urged the Indian government to release the data from the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder so that lawyers and experts can analyze it to explore legal options.
"If Boeing is found to be responsible for this crash, we anticipate the cases will be filed in the Federal court in the US," Andrews said, asserting that the best place to hold companies accountable is in the USA through its product liability laws.
"The US legal system is set up in a way that an individual... can stand on a level playing field with a multinational firm such as Boeing," quotes PTI.
Addressing reports of pilot error, Andrews suggested this was a "narrative typically originated from the manufacturer and it's an attempt to deflect focus from their product."
He commented that it is common for deceased pilots to be blamed. "In other incidents wherein planes landed safely, those pilots were not blamed, because those pilots can speak for themselves," he said.
According to PTI, Andrews added that without the data, it is difficult to determine what occurred. "A very small piece of information has been released from the cockpit voice recorder. What we don't know is the larger context," he said.
From Vadodara, Andrews is scheduled to travel to Surat and Diu to meet with more families who have agreed to pursue the case. He will also meet with victims' kin in Ahmedabad before returning to the United Kingdom.
On June 12, Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft bound for London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex in Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff. The crash resulted in the deaths of 241 of the 242 people on the aircraft and 19 individuals on the ground, including four medical students.
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