Ahmedabad plane crash: UK law firm Keystone flags 2 'serious' questions

 

Keystone Law, a London-based law firm, on Thursday (local time) flagged two very 'serious' questions in the London-bound Air India flight, which crashed on June 12, minutes after taking off, claiming the lives of at least 270 people.

 

In a statement, Keystone Law announced that it has been formally retained by British families who lost their loved ones in the fatal crash. The two areas of concern include the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployment and loss of thrust in both engines.

 

Air India plane crash

 

On June 12, an Air India flight from Ahmedabad bound for Gatwick, London, crashed into a medical college in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff. The crash claimed the lives of at least 270 people, including 241 people out of 242 people on board and several people on the ground. The sole survivor was an Indian-origin British national, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who sat on seat 11A, adjacent to the emergency exit. Ramesh managed to escape with injuries through the broken emergency exit.

 

Considered to be Air India's worst tragedy in decades, the case is under investigation, with the Parliament Transport Committee summoning Boeing officials along with the Civil Aviation Secretary.

 

Keystone's statement

 

James Healy-Pratt and Owen Hanna, Keystone's aviation partners, said that they are working closely with several British families, concerning the Coronial process, adding that they are also working closely with the London lawyers, appointed by Air India and its aviation insurers, dealing with interim payments.

 

Pratt, in a statement, said, "This is an incredibly sensitive time for the AI 171 families, and we are supporting them through the various processes in the UK and the US. On the air safety aspects, our technical investigation team believes that the RAT was automatically deployed. This suggests a serious systems failure around the critical point of take-off."

 

He further added, "Serious questions will need to be asked of both Air India and Boeing once the preliminary report is published in the coming weeks. The families of AI 171 want truth and justice, and we stand in solidarity with them.”