Overview

• Lead attorney Mike Andrews filed a Freedom of Information Act request on September 12 seeking the flight data recorder from Air India flight AI171.
• Andrews asserts emerging evidence points to a potable water system leak causing an electrical short that could have automatically moved engine fuel controls to cutoff rather than pilot error.
• The FAA issued a May 14 airworthiness directive for Boeing 787-8/9/10 warning that leaks into electronics equipment bays can cause shorts and loss of essential functions.
• The directive requires inspections of seat tracks and moisture barriers above EE bays to prevent water intrusion and directs on‑condition repairs where protections are missing or deteriorated.
• AI171, a Boeing 787-8, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 260, and an AAIB preliminary report found both engines shut down within about 90 seconds as families now press for transparency.