Air India says no issues found in checks of Boeing 787 fuel switches as attention turns to crash pilot
This action follows an ongoing probe into a devastating Air India crash, which killed 241 of 242 people on board and 19 on the ground. The investigation is focused on the fuel control switches of the Boeing 787 jetliner involved.
These critical switches manage fuel flow to aircraft engines, allowing pilots to start or shut them down, or manually intervene during in-flight engine failures. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) expects its final report within a year.
Air India began voluntary inspections of the switches on July 12. India's aviation regulator soon ordered all domestic carriers to conduct similar checks, prompting some foreign airlines and regulators to follow suit.
A preliminary report from the AAIB earlier this month found the switches had almost simultaneously flipped from 'run' to 'cutoff' shortly after takeoff, causing the engines to lose power.
The report cited a 2018 FAA advisory that urged operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, to inspect the locking mechanism on fuel cutoff switches to prevent unintentional movement.
The FAA and Boeing have privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, Reuters had reported.
Reuters reported last week, citing a source, that the cockpit recording on the Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick suggested the captain cut fuel to the engines.
The AAIB has said it is too early to draw any conclusions.
Air India operates a fleet of Boeing 787 twin-aisle jets on its long-haul operations, while low-cost unit Air India Express operates the Boeing 737 single-aisle jets.
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