Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 15 : Mike Andrews, US attorney representing over 65 families of victims of the AI171 crash, during his third visit to India, stated that the primary concern of the families is to understand the cause of the tragic incident and ensure accountability.
Speaking about the victims' families' concerns, Andrews said, "Most of the concerns today are some of the very same concerns they had right after the tragedy. They want to know what happened, know the cause of the crash, who is responsible and how it could have been prevented. Largely, they want to do something to prevent this from ever happening to another family... This, at first and at base, is about accountability and knowing what happened."
He added, "We continue to talk about the previous compensation packages they had been offered..." highlighting that the affected families are still seeking clarity and support regarding the tragic incident.
Andrews assured that the team has been providing complete support to the affected families. A Freedom of Information Act request in the United States has been filed to recover the data.
"We're trying to offer support in any way that we can... We are making multiple efforts to uncover the data. We filed a Freedom of Information Act request in the United States to obtain the data. We're closely following the efforts of the pilot's father in the Supreme Court here..." he said.
The US attorney further noted that, according to media reports, the court's observations so far suggest that the pilot was not at fault at the time of the crash.
"We feel that the comments from the court so far have been favourable...What we have seen through the media reports they also echoes the sentiment that we should not be blaming the pilot...We should be seeking information to find out what happened," he said.
The AI171 tragedy occurred on June 12, when the Air India flight crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, claiming 260 lives, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India later released the preliminary report into the tragic crash, outlining the harrowing sequence of events that unfolded within 90 seconds of takeoff. The report noted that both engines of the aircraft unexpectedly shut down during the initial climb, resulting in catastrophic loss of thrust and a rapid descent.
The crash remains one of the deadliest aviation accidents in India in recent history, leaving a profound impact on the victims' families and the aviation community.