Latest news with #cockpitconfusion
Khaleej Times
22-07-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
Air India says no issues found in Boeing 737 fuel control switches
Air India has completed precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all its Boeing 737 aircraft, with no issues found, the airline said on Tuesday. The probe into the Air India flight that crashed and killed 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground, is centred around the fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 jetliner. A preliminary report into the tragedy depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before the jetliner crashed, after the plane's engine fuel cutoff switches almost simultaneously flipped, starving the engines of fuel. Days earlier, Air India announced the completion of similar precautionary checks across its fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft and revealed that no issues were detected. 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. A final report into the incident is expected within a year of the accident. Air India reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of operational safety and ensuring full regulatory compliance across its network. What are the FCSs? The FCSs regulate fuel flow into a plane's engines. They are used by pilots to start or shut down engines on the ground or to manually shut down or restart engines if an engine failure occurs during a flight. Aviation experts say a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. But if moved, the effect would be immediate, cutting off engine power. There are independent power systems and wiring for the fuel cutoff switches and the fuel valves controlled by those switches, according to US aviation safety expert John Cox. The switches are spring-loaded to remain in position. To change one from run to cutoff, a pilot has to first pull the switch up and then move it from run to cutoff or vice versa. There are two modes: 'CUTOFF' and 'RUN'.
Free Malaysia Today
18-07-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
New Air India crash probe shifts focus to plane's captain, WSJ reports
A preliminary report released by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before the crash. (EPA Images pic) NEW YORK : A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicates the captain turned off the switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane's engines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The newspaper cited people familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence uncovered in the investigation into the crash, which killed 260 people. The first officer, who was flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, asked the more experienced captain why he moved the switches to the 'cutoff' position after it climbed off the runway, the report said. The first officer expressed surprise and then panicked, while the captain seemed to remain calm, the WSJ reported. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Boeing and Air India did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the report. The two pilots involved were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively. A preliminary report released last week by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before the June 12 crash, and raised fresh questions over the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches.
