'No issues found': Air India says completed inspection of fuel control switches on Boeing 787 planes
"Over the weekend, our Engineering team initiated precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all our Boeing 787 aircraft. The inspections have been completed and no issues were found," the official said, citing an internal message shared with Air India pilots.
DGCA Orders Checks After Crash Report
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday directed Indian carriers operating Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft to inspect their fuel switch locking systems. The order came in response to a preliminary report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which indicated the fuel switches had moved to 'cutoff' just before the crash of an Air India 787-8 last month that killed 260 people.
According to the AAIB's 15-page report, the fuel supply to both engines was cut off within the space of one second, shortly after takeoff. This caused an immediate loss of altitude, leading to the fatal crash.
"In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off? The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report noted.
The Air India official added that the Throttle Control Module (TCM) — of which the FCS is a part — had already been replaced on all Boeing 787-8 aircraft operated by the airline, as per Boeing's maintenance schedule.
The Fuel Control Switch regulates the flow of fuel into the aircraft engines, playing a critical role in safe takeoff and in-flight operations. Any unintended movement of the switch — especially from 'run' to 'cutoff' — can instantly shut down engine power.
The AAIB report also referenced a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but did not issue any specific recommendations or mandatory corrective actions.
The airline has urged pilots to stay alert and report any potential faults in the technical logbook as part of its standard defect reporting system.
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