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Air India Group completes fuel control switch checks on Boeing planes
The DGCA's directive followed the preliminary report issued on July 12 by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the June 12 crash of Air India flight AI171, which killed 260 people. The report found that both engine fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 had transitioned from "Run" to "Cutoff" just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad, resulting in a dual engine failure.
The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel was cut off, to which the other replied that he had not done it. A Mayday call was made shortly before the aircraft crashed into a building near the airport.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Air India said, 'Air India has completed precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all Boeing 787 and Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet.'
'No issues were found with the said locking mechanism,' the airline said, adding that it had started voluntary inspections on July 12 and completed them within the prescribed time limit set by the DGCA. The airline has formally communicated this to the regulator.
Although the exact cause of the switch movement on AI171 remains undetermined, the incident led the DGCA to issue a mandatory inspection order on July 14. The DGCA's order referenced a 2018 Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). That FAA bulletin had warned of the possibility that Honeywell-manufactured fuel control switches on certain Boeing aircraft — including the 737 and 787 — might be installed in a way that disables their locking mechanism, which is meant to prevent accidental switch movement from "Run" to "Cutoff."
However, the FAA did not issue any fresh directive after the AI171 crash, and the 2018 SAIB remains advisory. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has also stated that there is no need for any action by Boeing.
Meanwhile, some foreign carriers, such as Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways, conducted precautionary checks of their own accord. The DGCA's July 14 order required Indian operators of affected Boeing aircraft to complete inspections by July 21 and report back. Boeing 777s are exempt from the order as they do not use the switches under scrutiny.
The DGCA order applied to Boeing fleets across five Indian carriers: Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air.
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