Air India Crash Victim’s Son Sues Boeing in US Court for Faster Justice

Hir Prajapati, whose mother died in the June 12 Air India crash, has sued Boeing in US Federal Court, seeking faster justice than in India. Represented by attorney Mike Andrews, he hopes black box data will soon emerge. The crash killed 241 on board and 19 on the ground.

Hir Prajapati, who lost his mother, Kalpana Ben Prajapati, in the June 12 Air India Flight AI-171 crash, has filed a lawsuit against Boeing in US Federal Court. The move, he says, is aimed at securing swifter justice than what he believes would be possible in India’s slower judicial process.

Prajapati has engaged US aviation attorney Mike Andrews, who represents more than 65 victim families. He hopes the black box data will soon be made available to guide the legal strategy. “In India, trials get dragged out for years. We are fighting the case in the US so that a decision is pronounced early,” he said.

Expressing gratitude to the Indian government, police, and medical teams, Prajapati recalled their quick assistance in handing over victims’ bodies after DNA identification. He also recounted how his mother’s travel was rescheduled multiple times before she boarded the doomed flight — changes he now remembers with deep sorrow.

On Monday evening, families of the victims marked two months since the disaster with a candlelight vigil. Andrews attended, calling it “a very difficult day” for all involved and reaffirming the families’ resolve to seek answers.

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Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing all 241 people on board — 229 passengers and 12 crew members — along with 19 people on the ground. Investigations into the cause of the crash remain ongoing.