Alabama [US] September 13 : The lead US attorney representing families of victims in the Air India AI171 plane crash has raised doubts over the sufficiency of compensation being offered and flagged possible technical faults linked to Boeing's manufacturing as key areas under investigation.
Mike Andrews, a lawyer based in Montgomery, Alabama, said his firm currently represents the families of around 110 victims, both passengers and those killed on the ground.
"So far we represent the families of approximately 110 victims and that's a mix of people who were both on the aircraft and on the ground," Andrews told ANI.
He added that his team was working with experts and reviewing documents that may shed light on the causes behind the deadly crash. "We are continuing to work with our experts, gathering documents, and talking to individuals that we believe may have information helpful to our investigation," he said.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India had released its preliminary report soon after the June 12 crash, but Andrews said the findings left more questions than answers.
"The AAIB released the preliminary report, which was fairly quick but highly decontextualised and led to more questions than it provided answers," he said, noting that the pace of investigation appeared similar to earlier Boeing cases.
Asked about initial payments being offered by Air India to the families, Andrews dismissed them as insufficient. "No, that payment is not going to be sufficient over the rest of their lives," he said.
He added that certain indemnity provisions included in early documents should not prevent victims' families from pursuing larger claims against Boeing.
"At least with respect to the one small waiver provision that I noticed, or actually it was an indemnity provision, all it spoke to was the requirement for the person receiving the money on behalf of the family to agree to indemnify against other family members who might come forward later. That should have no effect whatsoever in claims against Boeing or other companies," Andrews explained.
Andrews also pointed to ongoing technical theories being investigated, including problems with aircraft computers and water leakage in equipment bays.
"One of the current theories that's being explored is this issue of water leaks in water lines underneath the forward and Aft lavatories of the plane, including the galley areas. Those are areas over what's referred to as an EE bay and those are areas in which computer equipment is housed," he said.
He warned that such leaks could cause electrical shorts affecting systems critical to flight safety. "Water can leak into the equipment bays and cause the computers to become wet. If that happens, according to the FAA, those leaks can cause electrical shorts, which can lead to the loss of computers and equipment critical for safety and flight... The manufacturer of the plane obviously is responsible for defects that can exist in the plane at the time it leaves the manufacturer. So in this case, if the couplings were defective at the time they left Boeing, then Boeing could be held responsible for those. Similarly, if Boeing failed to install proper waterproofing and sealing in areas over these EE bays, they can also be responsible for that if that is determined to be a causal factor in what happened here...," he said.
On June 12, Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 on the ground.
Both engines had shut down unexpectedly within 90 seconds of take-off, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust and rapid descent, according to the AAIB's preliminary report.
The crash is one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India's recent history, with families now seeking answers and accountability from both Air India and Boeing.
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