• Families of four victims sue Boeing and Honeywell for negligence in Air India Flight 171 crash.
• Lawsuit claims faulty fuel cutoff switches caused the crash soon after takeoff.
• US FAA guidelines recommended inspections of the switches, which were allegedly ignored.
• Investigation reports suggest a cockpit confusion prior to the crash.
• The crash, which occurred in June, resulted in the deaths of 260 people.

The families of four passengers killed in the June 12 crash of Air India Flight 171 have filed a lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court against Boeing and Honeywell, alleging that **faulty fuel cutoff switches** caused the tragic accident shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad. The lawsuit indicates that the locking mechanism for these switches could fail or be inadvertently disengaged, resulting in a loss of fuel supply needed for flight, which directly led to the crash that claimed 260 lives, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

The lawsuit states that Boeing and Honeywell had prior knowledge of the potential risks associated with the design of these switches, especially following an FAA advisory issued in 2018 that recommended, though did not mandate, inspections of these critical components. The advisory highlighted concerns over fuel cutoff switches that could be accidentally activated, but Air India reportedly did not carry out the suggested inspections, according to the preliminary findings of India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and detailed in BBC and India Times.

Further investigations revealed that just seconds after takeoff, the aircraft's engines lost power, coinciding with a cockpit recording that noted confusion between the pilots regarding the fuel supply. The complaint argues that the placement of the fuel switches beneath the thrust levers made accidental activation likely, stating, "Boeing effectively guaranteed that normal cockpit activity could result in inadvertent fuel cutoff," according to information from both Reuters and BBC.

A legal analysis points out that although aviation accidents typically result from a combination of factors, victims' families often target manufacturers like Boeing and Honeywell due to limits on liability faced by airlines. This lawsuit is significant as it marks the first of its kind in the United States following this specific crash. The plaintiffs seek unspecified damages for the deaths of their family members, which adds a personal dimension to this already tragic event. The provisions of the lawsuit continue to highlight systemic safety oversights in light of prior FAA advisories, as noted by India Times and Al Jazeera.