Latest news with #Neenan
Hindustan Times
05-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Air India rejects claims Ahmedabad crash survivors' kin coerced into signing documents
Air India on Friday denied allegations that it coerced families of victims from the AI-171 crash into signing documents about their financial dependency on the deceased in an attempt to reduce compensation payouts. Wreckage of the Air India flight at the crash site in Ahmedabad. (Bloomberg) The airline called the claims 'unsubstantiated and inaccurate', saying it takes 'such accusations incredibly seriously' because the 'support and welfare of the families impacted by this tragic incident is our number one priority'. The controversy emerged following a report in The Guardian in which aviation lawyer Peter Neenan, who represents families of the crash victims, accused the airline of 'ethically outrageous' behaviour towards bereaved relatives. Neenan, a partner at UK law firm Stewarts that has represented families in major airline disasters including MH17 and MH370, claimed the airline's treatment of grief-stricken families could save it at least £100m by under-compensating families. The report quoted Neenan as alleging that relatives arriving to identify their loved ones' remains in the days after the June 12 crash were put in a 'small, crowded room' in intense heat with other bereaved families and told to fill out documentation and a complicated questionnaire asking for important financial information. The families were not given any warning, legal advice or a copy of the documents, Neenan said. Some families have told him that Air India officials followed up with visits to their homes and asked why they had not yet completed the forms. One relative, whose mother was killed in the crash, told The Guardian: 'The conditions where they asked us to complete the questionnaire were unacceptable, in a crowded hot corridor with unsuitable chairs and desks. There was no privacy whatsoever.' The family member added: 'Air India should have done this in a more professional and compassionate manner and asked all families to seek legal advice before proceeding. However, it was implied that if we did not complete the questionnaire and submit documents then no compensation would be paid.' Imtiaz Ali, brother of deceased passenger Javed Ali Syed, told HT he filled the form online and sent it to Air India officials via email. 'I fail to understand why the income and occupation details were required. I have filled the form but there would be many others who would face difficulty in finding such details. Also, we haven't so far received the interim compensation from Air India,' he said, adding that his brother's luggage and belongings have yet to be handed over to him. Air India clarified that the request for financial information was part of a standard process to ensure that interim compensation reached the rightful beneficiaries promptly. 'Efforts are being made by the airlines to process the payment of the interim compensation (also referred to as advance compensation) as soon as possible, to meet the immediate financial needs of affected family members, with the first payments having been made within days of the accident. However, Air India cannot process these payments in an information vacuum,' the airline stated. The carrier said it sought basic information to establish family relationships to ensure advance payments are received by those entitled to them. In an internal message to employees, Air India chief executive and managing director Campbell Wilson said the carrier has paid compensation to families of nearly two-thirds of the victims. 'Our teams have been helping families receive interim compensation. Every affected family is being directly assisted by an Air India representative, with nearly two-thirds having already received payment or are in the final stages,' Wilson told airline employees. Air India parent company Tata Sons announced it will provide ₹1 crore each to the families of each person who died in the crash. On June 14, Air India announced it will provide interim compensation of ₹25 lakh to the families of each of the deceased and survivors to help address immediate financial needs. The Air India Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed moments after takeoff on June 12, killing 260 people onboard and on the ground. The crash, one of the worst air disasters in India in decades, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Air India flight AI-171. Of the 242 people onboard, 241 were killed, while the total death toll stood at 260, including casualties on the ground.
India.com
04-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
Air India Denies Allegations Of Forcing AI 171 Crash Victims' Families To Disclose Financial Dependency
New Delhi: Air India has denied allegations from British law firm Stewarts Law that it forced families of the AI 171 crash victims to disclose financial dependency on the deceased to get compensation. Over 40 families represented by Stewarts Law have accused the airline of coercion and intimidation as they pursue claims related to the crash of the London-bound Boeing plane crash at Ahmedabad in which over 241 passengers and crew were killed. "Air India categorically rejects these allegations and refutes them as both unsubstantiated and inaccurate," the Tata Group airline said in a statement. The airline clarified that a questionnaire circulated among certain passengers was intended solely to verify familial relationships, ensuring the rightful distribution of interim payments. 'Understandably, there are some formal processes that must be followed, but we are giving families all the time and flexibility they need. We want to support however we can,' Air India said in a statement. "In order to facilitate payments, Air India has sought basic information to establish family relationships to ensure that the advance payments are received by those entitled to them. Family members have been issued with a questionnaire to allow Air India to gather the information required to process compensation payments. This can be submitted in person at our Facilitation Centre at the Taj Skyline hotel in Ahmedabad, or by e-mail, and families have been given time and flexibility to complete these. Air India has certainly not made any unsolicited visits to families' homes," Air India said. Air India executives said that an interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh has been paid to 47 families, while interim compensation for another 55 families is in process and will be disbursed soon. UK-based law firm Stewarts, which is representing over 40 bereaved families, has alleged that Air India has been 'coercing' families into submitting legally significant financial disclosures before receiving advance compensation. "This tactic has deeply distressed families already dealing with an immense loss," the firm said. The allegations come weeks after the June 12 disaster, in which 241 people on board and many on the ground died when the plane crashed into a medical college hostel seconds after take-off from the Ahmedabad airport. Peter Neenan, an aviation lawyer and partner at UK law firm Stewarts, has represented families in a number of large airline disasters around the world, including the high-profile MH17 and MH370 crashes. He claimed the airline's treatment of grief-stricken families could save it at least £100m by under-compensating families. 'This is the real horror of what they're potentially looking to do,' he said, calling for an investigation into the airline's behaviour. Neenan said the families were not given any warning, legal advice, or a copy of the documents. Some families have told him that Air India officials went round to their homes and asked why they had not yet completed the forms, he added. Neenan claimed families were falsely told they would not receive any payments unless they completed the forms, even though airlines are required under international law to make immediate advance payments to families entitled to compensation. Families are not required to do anything more than provide proof of identity and sign a receipt.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Why TCAS air traffic safety system didn't prevent Washington plane crash
Authorities believe everyone on board a passenger plane and a US Army helicopter that collided in mid-air before crashing into a river in Washington DC on Wednesday have been killed. An American Airlines flight, carrying a total of 64 people, collided with Black Hawk helicopter in Washington DC that was carrying three soldiers on a training mission. Emergency services are battling freezing conditions to retrieve the bodies. Several members of the figure skating community were believed to be on board the flight, with Russia's state news agency reporting that two world-champion Russian figure skaters were on the American Airlines plane. An investigation is underway to identify the causes of the crash, but experts are already trying to pinpoint what happened with the American Airlines flight's TCAS system. Here's what we know about the TCAS system, and why it didn't prevent the Washington plane crash. A TCAS system, which stands for "Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System", is meant to act as the last defence against mid-air collisions in passenger planes. It is a type of airborne collision avoidance system that is legally stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation to be fitted to all aircraft above a certain weight — such as the American Eagle Flight No. 5342 regional jetliner. "TCAS systems are last-resort safety net systems designed to ensure that aircraft do not collide mid-air. The TCAS system on board an aircraft interrogates the transponders of nearby aircraft," Peter Neenan, Partner, Aviation at UK leading litigation-only law firm Stewarts, told Yahoo News. Following pilot response, the system "provides the altitude and range", and then issues any needed alerts to the pilots. "The UH-60 Black Hawk is fitted as standard with the necessary transponder for the TCAS system to work. They are mandatory in the US for commercial aviation like the American Airlines aircraft," he added. In this instance, there is a clear limitation to TCAS. While the system may have been fully functional, the plane being low to the ground meant that the system's highest alert — known as a resolution advisory — was not triggered. "Resolution Advisories are inhibited during approach to land when the aircraft is below 1000 feet (+/- 100 ft) above ground level," Neenan explained. "It is likely that the system was partially inhibited during the approach." It is likely therefore - given the altitude of impact - that the RA function was inhibited. Traffic Advisories would still be issued but they are a lower alert. Neenan added that "the system is usually a reliable system". The National Transportation Safety Board, a US government agency that investigates civil aviation accidents, will be instructed to investigate the accident. As it is "a long and detailed investigation", Neenan explained, and could take up to two years to complete. "It is too early to speculate on why the aircraft hit each other, but they will certainly look at the role of air traffic control, TCAS and the crew for the aircraft," he added. While research into collision avoidance systems like TCAS has been ongoing since the 1950s, crashes like the one on Washington still happen. Following the 2002 Überlingen mid-air collision in southern Germany, where all of the passengers and crew aboard both planes were killed, the TCAS system was overhauled with significant changes made. An investigation had found that the collision had been caused in part by ambiguities in the procedures regarding the use of the system, which saw one pilot following air traffic control commands while one was following TCAS command. This included improved pilot training, clearer instructions regarding TCAS commands, and updates to the system itself, particularly addressing ambiguous "Adjust Vertical Speed" commands which were replaced with more explicit instructions like "Level-Off" to ensure pilots properly respond to collision avoidance alerts. While these features were brought in to prevent similar accidents in the future, it is clear the update is not foolproof. In light of this, Neenan thinks "it is likely" that there will be changes made to TCAS in the future, '"As part of the investigation, changes could be made to TCAS, air traffic control or any other function," he added.
