No issue found in Boeing fleet's fuel-control switches: Air India

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

Air India on Tuesday said the airline and its low-cost subsidiary, Air India Express, had completed precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of the fuel-control switches on all their Boeing 787 and Boeing 737 aircraft, and no issues were found. 

With this, the two airlines have complied with the directives of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued on July 14, Air India said in a statement. The airline has formally communicated this to the regulator. 

The DGCA directive followed the preliminary report released on July 12 by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is probing the June 12 crash of Air India flight AI171 that killed 260 people. The report found that both engine fuel-control switches, which regulate the flow of fuel into the aircraft engines on Boeing 787s, had transitioned from “Run” to “Cutoff” just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad, resulting in a dual engine failure. 

 

“In the inspections, no issues were found with the said locking mechanism,” the Air India statement said. 

According to the preliminary report, the cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel was cut off, to which the latter replied that he had not done it. A Mayday call was made shortly before the aircraft crashed into a building near the airport.   

Although the exact cause of the switch movement on AI171 remains undetermined, the incident prompted the DGCA to issue a mandatory inspection order on July 14. 

The DGCA order referenced a 2018 Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The 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 has 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 on their own. 

The DGCA’s July 14 order required Indian operators of affected Boeing aircraft to complete inspections by July 21 and report back. Boeing 777s were exempt from the order, as they did not use the switches under scrutiny. 

The DGCA order applied to Boeing fleets of five Indian carriers — Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air.