Overview

• Four families filed a Delaware Superior Court lawsuit on September 16 alleging negligence and a faulty fuel cutoff switch on the Boeing 787-8 caused the June 12 crash that killed 260 people.
• The complaint targets Boeing’s placement of the switches behind the thrust levers and Honeywell’s locking mechanism, arguing the design allowed inadvertent fuel cutoff during normal cockpit activity.
• India’s AAIB preliminary report found both fuel control switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF seconds after takeoff and captured cockpit confusion, but investigators have not assigned cause, with a final report due in 2026.
• Plaintiffs cite a 2018 FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin recommending inspections of switch lock mechanisms; the AAIB noted Air India had not performed those checks, though required directives were met and the throttle control module was replaced in 2019 and 2023.
• Boeing declined substantive comment and Honeywell did not immediately respond, while the FAA administrator said he has high confidence a mechanical problem or inadvertent movement was not to blame and outside experts questioned whether the switches could be accidentally flipped.