A lawsuit has been filed by 83 passengers seeking millions from Boeing after the Asiana 777 crash in San Francisco.
The class action lawsuit was filed in Chicago, Boeing’s corporate headquarters.
It will be expanded in coming days to include Asiana and several component part manufacturers “who may be responsible for this disaster,” law firm Ribbeck Law Chartered said.
While a final determination of what caused the deadly crash of the Boeing 777 is years away, Chicago-based Ribbeck Law said initial reports indicate it could have been caused by a mechanical malfunction of the auto-throttle, the AFP news agency reported
Ribbeck said that in addition to potential problems with the auto throttle, some emergency slides reportedly opened inside the plane, injuring passengers and blocking their exit, and some passengers had to be cut out of their seatbelts with a knife.
Three people were killed and more than 180 injured when the aircraft with 307 passengers and crew in a flight from Shanghai via Seoul clipped a sea wall with its tail as it came in to land on July 6 and skidded out of control before catching fire.
Ribbeck filed a motion seeking to require Boeing to provide details about the jet’s design and maintenance and will seek access to all of the evidence discovered in the course of the investigation.
“We must find the causes of the crash and demand that the problems with the airline and the aircraft are immediately resolved to avoid future tragedies,” said attorney Monica Kelly, head of Ribbeck’s aviation department.
A Boeing spokesman said the company had no comment.