Safety notices raised alerts on B787 fuel valves, switches
This AD, which required mandatory compliance, was flagged again by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) a month later, issuing a safety notice requiring airlines to mandatorily check fuel shutoff valves on Boeing aircraft.
It specifically mentioned that while fuel shutoff valves on various Boeing aircraft, including B737, B757, B767, and B777, require inspection, those on B787 needed to be replaced. The AI plane that crashed on June 12 was a B787 Dreamliner.
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The preliminary crash investigation report also established that the crash was due to the plane losing thrust as fuel to the engines was cut off. While the report mentions transitioning the fuel switch from ON to CUT OFF and back to ON, a section of pilots says this sequence was required to be carried out by pilots as per the Boeing manual in case fuel flow to the engines ceased.
The 2015 AD, the 2019 SAIB, as well as the reflagging of the valve problem by CAA, point to an inherent issue with the throttle control module used in B787 aircraft and not just the fuel switches hinted at in the crash preliminary report.
The CAA safety notice (no. SN-2015/005) issued on May 15, 2025, less than a month before the June 12 AI crash, reiterates the 2015 AD issued by FAA. It reads: "...the fuel shutoff valve actuators on the B787 which require replacement, test and/or inspection..."
"The Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization (CAMO) for operators of B787 aircraft should immediately make themselves aware of the relevant AD and establish whether it affects any aircraft...
The operation check AD must be documented in the Operations Manual along with reference to the AD number," the notice added.
Aviation safety experts and airline pilots said the AD is absolutely critical. An airline official said Indian carriers are mandated to follow the ADs issued by DGCA.
The CAA AD requires compliance by UK airlines. They acknowledge that the AD issued by FAA in September 2015 needed to be mandatorily acted upon and said the DGCA issued the concerned AD in 2015. AI back then was under govt management. Airline sources said the necessary actions were taken.
UK aviation regulator CAA issued safety notice (no. SN-2015/005) on May 15, 2025, requiring valve replacement and checks in B787 aircraft.
The safety notice was based on an Airworthiness Directive (AD) issued on September 19, 2015, by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), US, addressing a potential unsafe condition affecting fuel shutoff valves installed on various Boeing aircraft.
DGCA issued an AD on the fuel control valves in 2015 following the FAA alert. But there was no mention of it in the preliminary crash investigation report issued by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
Instead, the report mentioned an FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) NM-18-33 dated December 17, 2018, that warned of the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature. This was not mandatory in nature and hence not acted upon, it stated.
On July 14, 2025, DGCA issued a circular ordering checks of fuel control switches on B787 and B737 aircraft.
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