Air India crash: Decoding the fuel switches behind the deadly accident
Understanding how these switches function and their critical role in flight operations is essential for grasping the sequence of events that led to the disaster. WHAT ARE FUEL CONTROL SWITCHES?Fuel control switches are vital cockpit components that regulate the flow of fuel to an aircraft's engines.On the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which typically features two GE engines, these switches are positioned just below the thrust levers.Their primary functions include:Starting or shutting down engines on the groundManually shutting down or restarting engines in flight in case of an emergencyThe switches are designed with safety in mind. They are spring-loaded to stay in their set position, and to move them from 'RUN' (fuel flowing) to 'CUTOFF' (fuel stopped), a pilot must first pull the switch up before changing its position.This deliberate action is intended to prevent accidental activation.Role of Fuel Switches in Normal OperationsDuring routine operations, pilots use the fuel switches primarily during engine start-up and shutdown procedures.In the 'RUN' position, fuel flows to the engines, allowing them to operate. Moving the switch to 'CUTOFF' immediately stops the fuel supply, shutting down the engine.This function is essential for safe ground operations and for responding to certain in-flight emergencies. WHAT HAPPENED ON THE AIR INDIA FLIGHT?The preliminary crash investigation revealed a critical and unusual sequence: just seconds after takeoff, both engine fuel control switches were moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF,' one after the other, with only a one-second gap.This action starved both engines of fuel, causing a rapid loss of thrust. Cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot asking the other, 'Why did you cut off the fuel?'—to which the other replied, 'I did not do so.'Seconds later, the switches were returned to 'RUN,' but the engines did not recover in time to prevent the crash.
A screengrab from the report showing the doomed Air India flight moments after takeoff.
It is highly unlikely for these switches to be moved accidentally, given their design. The switches and the fuel valves they control are connected by independent wiring and powered by separate systems, further reducing the risk of inadvertent activation.US aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), had in 2018, flagged potential fuel control switch issues on 737 jets. It didn't, though, suggest that it had a bearing on airworthiness. However, Air India did not carry out any inspection as the bulletin was advisory in nature.
'The fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models including part number 4TL837-3D which is fitted in B787-8 aircraft VT-ANB. As per the information from Air India, the suggested inspections were not carried out as the SAIB was advisory and not mandatory,' the report stated.The report further adds that 'there has been no defect reported pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on VT-ANB.'advertisementThe Air India crash points to the critical importance of fuel control switches in modern jetliners like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.While the switches are engineered to prevent accidental use, the report hints that the brief activation in the 'CUTOFF' position had catastrophic consequences.- EndsTune InMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#Air India
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Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Air India to start restoring its international flight schedule from August 1; was curtailed in wake of AI 171 crash
Air India will start from August 1 the partial restoration of its international wide-body schedule that had been truncated by about 15 per cent due to the airline taking a 'safety pause' after the June 12 crash of its Ahmedabad-London Gatwick flight AI 171 operated by a Boeing 787 aircraft. The full restoration of the airline's international wide-body schedule is expected from October. The announcement comes a few days after the preliminary report into the AI 171 crash came out. The accident claimed 260 lives—241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on ground. The report identified the primary trigger of the accident—both engine fuel control switches transitioning from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' in quick succession moments after lift-off. The causes behind the fuel control switch transition are what the investigators are now focussing on. The preliminary report did not find any fault with Air India, and did not have any recommendation for other operators of the Boeing 787 aircraft or its GE engines. Apart from enhanced safety inspections of the Air India's Boeing 787 fleet mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after the Ahmedabad air crash the airline also decided to do its own voluntary checks and adopt a cautious approach in flight operations, leading to delays and cancellations in the week that followed the crash. Airspace closures over Pakistan and parts of West Asia and night curfews at several overseas airports compounded the disruption. In view of these factors, the Tata group airline had announced on June 18 that it was cutting wide-body international flights by 15 per cent. 'That (safety) pause enabled Air India to perform additional precautionary checks on its Boeing 787 aircraft as well as accommodating longer flying times arising from airspace closures over Pakistan and the Middle East. The partial resumption will see restoration of some frequencies from 1st August, relative to July, with full restoration planned from 1st October 2025,' the airline said Tuesday in a release. The restoration will also see a few changes from the earlier schedule. For instance, the five-times-a-week Ahmedabad-London Gatwick service will be replaced by a thrice-weekly service to London Heathrow from August 1. Delhi-London Heathrow and Delhi-Zurich flight frequencies are being reinstated to weekly 24 flights and five flights, respectively. Delhi-Tokyo Haneda and Delhi-Seoul flights, whose weekly frequencies had been reduced by two flights each, are being reinstated to seven and five weekly flights, respectively. The airline is also reinstating its thrice-weekly Delhi-Nairobi service till August-end, after which it will be suspended for the whole of September. Most other routes on which flights were reduced will stay at the current frequency levels till September-end. There are also a few routes on which there is a further reduction in flights. For instance, the Delhi-Paris route will have seven weekly flights instead of 12, Delhi-Milan will have three weekly flights instead of four, Delhi-New York (JFK) and Mumbai-New York (JFK) will have six weekly frequencies each instead of seven, and Delhi-Newark flights will reduce to four a week from five. Temporary suspension of three routes—Goa (Mopa)-London Gatwick, Bengaluru-Singapore, and Pune-Singapore—will remain in place till September-end. 'As the schedule reductions taken as part of the Safety Pause had been implemented until 31 July 2025 and the restoration to full operation is being phased, some services initially planned to operate between 1 August and 30 September 2025 will be removed from the schedule. Air India is proactively contacting affected passengers to offer re-booking on alternative flights or a full refund, as per their preference. Air India apologises for the inconvenience,' the airline said. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
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First Post
10 hours ago
- First Post
Air India crash: Are Boeing's fuel switches faulty? Could it have caused the tragedy?
After the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, the Indian aviation regulator and other airlines across the world have ordered checks of the fuel control switches in their Boeing planes. This comes after the fuel switches have come under scrutiny following the initial investigation into the accident. An old advisory that flagged issues with the mechanism of these cogs has also resurfaced read more Remains of the Air India plane that crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport, Thursday in June. File image/PTI Days after the preliminary report on Air India Flight AI-171, which crashed in Ahmedabad in June, highlighted the role of fuel switches, many airlines within India as well as abroad are now investigating this mechanism. India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has ordered all airlines, which operate the Boeing's 787 and 737, to check fuel control switch locking mechanisms on them by July 21. Moreover, Etihad Airlines and other major airlines across the world have also started checking the locking mechanism in the fuel switches. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But why? What's going on? We get you the answers. Checks ordered for fuel switches in India and abroad On Monday (July 14), the DGCA ordered all airlines to check fuel switch locking system in Boeing 787, 737 planes in the aftermath of the deadly Air India plane crash that killed 241 passengers on board. The Indian aviation regulator has asked airlines to complete these checks by July 21, next Monday. Currently, only two Indian airlines operate these variants of the plane — Air India and IndiGo. An NDTV report states that Air India has completed checks on 50 per cent of the fleet in question with no malfunctions being found as of yet in the fuel switch's locking mechanism. Notably, Etihad Airlines and airline operators in South Korea have also been asked to carry out checks on fuel control switches. Korean Air Lines, in fact, on Tuesday, announced that it had begun inspecting fuel control switches and would implement any additional requirements the transport ministry may have. Additionally, even Singapore Airlines have started the process. Bloomberg also reported that Oman Air has also completed checks on fuel switches, while Saudi is checking its jets. The investigation underway at the site of the Air India plane crash, in Ahmedabad. PTI Reasons for the checks The DGCA's order and the other checks being carried out comes after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's preliminary report, released last Saturday (July 12), stated that both of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's fuel-control switches moved to the 'cutoff' position. This led to the airplane's engines being starved of fuel and lose power. Moreover, the cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other why he had cut off the fuel in the final moments before the crash. The other pilot responded that he had not done so, the report revealed, raising questions about the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches. The report doesn't clarify who or how the fuel switches jumped from 'run' to 'cutoff' just after takeoff. Fuel control switches, located on the critical cockpit control panel, are used to start or shut down engines on the ground. What is very important to note here is that these switches cannot be accidentally or gently moved by pilots operating a flight. The fuel cutoff switches are spring-loaded to remain firmly in place. A pilot must first pull the switch up before moving it from the 'run' to the 'cutoff' position, or vice versa. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had flagged a potential issue with fuel control switches on Boeing airplanes in 2018. In a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB), NM-18-33, indicated that there was a potential equipment malfunction with the fuel switches. The bulletin had flagged the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on certain models of Boeing aircraft, including 787s and 737s. In a recommendation, the FAA wrote, 'Inspect the locking feature of the fuel control switch to ensure its engagement. While the airplane is on the ground, check whether the fuel control switch can be moved between the two positions without lifting up the switch. If the switch can be moved without lifting it up, the locking feature has been disengaged and the switch should be replaced at the earliest opportunity.' The wreckage of the Air India plane that crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport, lies on a building, in Ahmedabad. Both switches feeding fuel to the two engines of Air India flight 171 were cut off followed before the plane crashed in Ahmedabad, seconds after taking off, the first investigation report into the crash has revealed. PTI What is notable is that at the time, the FAA did not consider it to be an unsafe condition. Moreover, the AAIB noted that the 'airworthiness concern was not considered an unsafe condition' and Air India did not carry out the inspections as the 'as the SAIB was advisory and not mandatory'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The AAIB noted that the throttle control module was replaced on VT-ANB in 2019 and 2023. However, the reason for the replacement was not linked to the fuel control switch. There has been no defect reported pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on VT-ANB,' the AAIB report says. Notably, this is not the first time that airlines and regulators worldwide have stepped away from FAA directives to independently take decisions impacting flight safety. In 2019, various governments and regulators ignored the FAA after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft crashed. But it wasn't just the US FAA that had issued a bulletin on the fuel switches in Boeing aircraft. It has now emerged that the UK Civil Aviation Authority warned about a similar fuel system flaw. On May 15, 2024, the UK regulator issued a directive to operators of five Boeing aircraft variants urging them to review and address a US Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Directive. The FAA directive had flagged fuel shutoff valve actuators, critical to preventing fuel leaks and engine shutdowns, as a potential safety concern. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The CAA notice explicitly listed the Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777, and 787 models and directed airlines to take mandatory action by either testing, inspecting, or replacing fuel shutoff valve actuators on affected planes as a precaution. Moreover, the safety notice specifically ordered daily checks of the fuel shutoff valves to mitigate any risks. With inputs from agencies
Indian Express
14 hours ago
- Indian Express
Air India crash report analysis: Beyond popular conspiracy theories, there are untold truths
On July 12, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released the preliminary report (Air India crash report) on the tragic crash of Air India's AI-171 at Ahmedabad on June 12. As per international rules, a preliminary report should be submitted within 30 days of the accident, with the final report coming within a year. This report, involving a Boeing-787-8 Dreamliner, instead of providing answers, raises more questions. Amazingly, details of this report were published on July 11, about 20 hours prior to its release in India by the USA's Wall Street Journal. The Boeing 787-8 is equipped with two Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFR); one is housed in the forward section of the aircraft, the other in its tail section. The latter EAFR, recovered from the roof of a building on June 13, was found to be substantially damaged. Hence, the AAIB could download flight data and voice recordings from the forward-located EAFR (recovered on June 16), as well as some limited data from the memory card of the tail-section EAFR. The fuel to the Dreamliner's engines is controlled by two mechanisms — the thrusters and the fuel cutoff switches. In simple terms, the thruster acts like accelerator pedals, and increases/decreases the amount of fuel being provided to the engines. The fuel switches, located below the thrusters, cut the fuel supply to engines when turned off, and are primarily meant for turning off the fuel supply when an aircraft is landing in an emergency situation. Importantly, these switches are spring-loaded, and to change its position from RUN to CUTOFF or vice-versa, the pilot has to first pull the switch upwards, and then move it from one position to the other. As per the report, which cites EAFR data, the aircraft: • After reaching requisite speed, started to lift-off at 08:08:35 UTC, and its air/ground sensors transitioned to air mode at 08:08:39 UTC. • It achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 knots at about 08:08:42 UTC. • At 08:08:52 UTC, the fuel cutoff switch of Engine-1 transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position, followed by same for Engine-2 after 01 second. Starved of fuel, both engines began to lose power. • This loss of power led to automatic deployment of the APU/Ramjet Air Turbine between 08:08:47 and 08:08:54 UTC (this provides emergency electrical power for critical functions). • The Cockpit Voice Recorder shows one of the pilots asking the other why did he cutoff, with the other pilot responding that he did not do so. • At 08:08:56 UTC, the fuel cutoff switches transitioned back from CUTOFF to RUN, after which the aircraft's automated system attempted re-starting the engines. • Engine-1's deceleration stopped and it's thrust started to recover, but Engine-2's core speed deceleration couldn't be stopped in spite of repeated fuel introductions. • One of the pilots transmitted a 'MAYDAY' call at 08:09:05 UTC; the EAFR recording stopped at 08:09:11 UTC. • At the crash site, both fuel Cutoff switches were found in 'RUN' position, with indications that re-lighting of both engines was attempted before the low-altitude crash. • The report concludes that 'all applicable airworthiness directives and alert service bulletins were complied [with] on the aircraft as well as engines', and no mechanical/maintenance faults/lapses were found. The report does not say anything about how or why the fuel switches flipped from RUN to CUTOFF position during the flight, nor does it clarify which pilot asked 'why did you cutoff?' and which pilot responded that he did not. Besides, there is no comment as yet from other agencies/firms involved in the crash investigation – the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or Boeing. The NTSB has merely thanked the AAIB while noting that there were no recommended actions in the report aimed at operators of Boeing 787 airliners or its GE (GEnx) engines. In a country where most dire events tend to be ascribed to some 'hand', foreign or internal, and outlandish/scurrilous reports are put out for bettering media TRPs, the AAIB report's ambiguity has spawned a number of conspiracy theories. One theory attributes the crash to deliberate, suicidal pilot action. On July 13, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association stated, '…deeply disturbed by speculative narratives, … particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide. There is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage… to casually suggest pilot suicide without verified evidence is a gross violation of ethical reporting and a disservice to the dignity of the profession.' Another postulates that one of the pilots inadvertently flipped the fuel cutoff switches — which leads to a question: Since switches need to be pulled up for a resetting, a pilot perhaps could have absent-mindedly flipped one switch. But both? Another outlandish one talks of a 'cyber/electronic warfare vehicle' of China/commercial competitor of Boeing, near Ahmedabad airport, jamming the Dreamliner's 'fly-by-wire' system and causing it to crash. The list goes on. All this, in spite of simpler explanations. On Jan 17, 2019, both engines of a Boeing 787-8 of All-Nippon Airways flight NH-985 had similarly shut down after a fuel cutoff just as it touched down; it continued to roll and, on stopping, had to be towed. Earlier, the FAA's Special Airworthiness Bulletin (SAIB) of December 17, 2018, had flagged potential disengagement of the fuel cutoff switch in Boeing aircraft, including the 787-8, and recommended their inspection to ensure they didn't move accidentally. According to the AAIB report, Air India confirmed it had not carried out the FAA's suggested inspections, as the same weren't mandatory. On July 14, however, India's DGCA ordered all Indian airlines operating the Boeing 787 and 737 planes to inspect these switches by July 21, adding that several international operators had acted on the FAA's advisory. Unfortunately, no one wants to wait for the exhaustive, conclusive final report. The remarks of Air India CEO Campbell Wilson merit consideration: The preliminary report has 'triggered a new round of speculation in the media … identified no cause nor made any recommendations, so I urge everyone to avoid drawing premature conclusions as the investigation is far from over.' The writer is a retired Brigadier from the Indian Army
