Latest news with #fuel switches
New York Times
19 hours ago
- General
- New York Times
Air India Finds ‘No Issues' After Inspections of Boeing Fuel Switches
Air India said on Tuesday that it had concluded inspections of its fleet of Boeing planes and had not found any problems with the locking mechanisms of their fuel switches, a feature that has become a focus of scrutiny after a deadly crash. Last month, 260 people were killed, including 19 on the ground, after a London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 jet went down seconds after takeoff in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. The investigation into the crash's cause may take months or years, but a preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found that the plane's fuel switches, which control the supply of fuel to the engine, had changed position seconds before the crash. Whether intentional or accidental, it appeared unlikely that the switches were moved without human involvement, safety experts said. Fuel switches have locking mechanisms that are designed to prevent accidental movement. Last week, regulators in India ordered that airlines inspect all the fuel switches on their Boeing planes. In a statement on Tuesday, Air India, the nation's flagship carrier, said that it had 'completed precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism' of the switches. 'In the inspections, no issues were found with the said locking mechanism,' it said. In the June 12 crash of Air India Flight 171, the fuel control switches for both engines moved from the 'RUN' position to 'CUTOFF' one after the other, about a second apart. The fuel supply stopped, and the aircraft began to lose altitude. According to the Indian investigation bureau's initial report, 'one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.' About 10 seconds after the fuel was cut off, the switches were moved to turn the fuel back on, but the plane did not regain power quickly enough to stop its descent, the report found. Mujib Mashal contributed reporting from New Delhi.
Gulf Business
5 days ago
- General
- Gulf Business
Air India crash: What are the fuel switches at the centre of the probe?
Image credit: airindia/Instagram A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Read- Below are a few facts about engine fuel switches, their functions in the aircraft and their movements on the Air India flight. What are fuel switches? They are switches that 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. Where are the fuel switches located? The two fuel control switches on a Boeing 787, in Air India's case equipped with two GE engines, are located below the thrust levers. 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'. What happened on the fatal Air India flight? According to the flight recorder, a few seconds after takeoff, switches for both engines transitioned to 'CUTOFF' from 'RUN' one after another with a time gap of one second. As a result, the engines began to lose power. One pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. 'The other pilot responded that he did not do so,' the report said. The report did not identify which remarks were made by the flight's captain and which by the first officer. The first officer was at the controls of the 787 and asked the captain why he moved the fuel switches into a position that starved the engines of fuel and requested that he restore the fuel flow, the source briefed on U.S. officials' early assessment told Reuters. Both switches were flipped back to 'RUN', according to the preliminary report, and found in the 'RUN' position at the crash site. When fuel control switches are moved from 'CUTOFF' to 'RUN' while the aircraft is in flight, each engine's control system automatically manages a relight and thrust recovery sequence of ignition and fuel introduction, the report said. 'No sane pilot would ever turn those switches off in flight,' especially as the plane is just starting to climb, US aviation safety expert John Nance said.
Khaleej Times
15-07-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
Ahmedabad plane crash: India orders airlines to check fuel switches on Boeing jets
India has ordered its airlines to examine fuel switches on several Boeing models after they came under scrutiny following last month's crash of an Air India jet, which killed 260 people. A preliminary report, issued Saturday by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, found that the switches had flipped from run position to cutoff shortly after takeoff. The report did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the June 12 disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued the order Monday to investigate the locking feature on the fuel control switches of several Boeing models including 787s and 737s. The order came after Boeing notified operators that the fuel switch locks on its jets were safe. But it was in line with a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration, which recommended inspection of the locks to ensure they could not be moved accidentally. Several Indian and international airlines have already begun their own inspections of fuel switches. "It has come to the notice of DGCA, that several operators -- internationally as well as domestic -- have initiated inspection on their aircraft fleet as per the SAIB," DGCA said in a statement. In view of the SAIB, all airline operators of the affected aircraft must complete the inspection by July 21, it added. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was headed from Ahmedabad in western India to London when it crashed, killing all but one of the 242 people on board as well as 19 people on the ground. In a letter to employees on Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the investigation into the crash was ongoing and it would be unwise to jump to "premature conclusions".
Malay Mail
15-07-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
India orders checks on Boeing fuel switches after deadly Air India crash
NEW DELHI, July 15 — India has ordered its airlines to examine fuel switches on several Boeing models after they came under scrutiny following last month's crash of an Air India jet which killed 260 people. A preliminary report, issued Saturday by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, found that the switches had flipped from run position to cutoff shortly after takeoff. The report did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the June 12 disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued the order Monday to investigate the locking feature on the fuel control switches of several Boeing models including 787s and 737s. The order came after Boeing notified operators that the fuel switch locks on its jets were safe. But it was in line with a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration, which recommended inspection of the locks to ensure they could not be moved accidentally. Several Indian and international airlines have already begun their own inspections of fuel switches. 'It has come to the notice of DGCA, that several operators—internationally as well as domestic—have initiated inspection on their aircraft fleet as per the SAIB,' DGCA said in a statement. In view of the SAIB, all airline operators of the affected aircraft must complete the inspection by July 21, it added. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was headed from Ahmedabad in western India to London when it crashed, killing all but one of the 242 people on board as well as 19 people on the ground. In a letter to employees on Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the investigation into the crash was ongoing and it would be unwise to jump to 'premature conclusions'. — AFP
Al Arabiya
15-07-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
India orders airlines to check fuel switches on Boeing jets
India has ordered its airlines to examine fuel switches on several Boeing models after they came under scrutiny following last month's crash of an Air India jet, which killed 260 people. A preliminary report, issued Saturday by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, found that the switches had flipped from run position to cutoff shortly after takeoff. The report did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the June 12 disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued the order Monday to investigate the locking feature on the fuel control switches of several Boeing models, including 787s and 737s. The order came after Boeing notified operators that the fuel switch locks on its jets were safe. But it was in line with a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration, which recommended inspection of the locks to ensure they could not be moved accidentally. Several Indian and international airlines have already begun their own inspections of fuel switches. 'It has come to the notice of DGCA that several operators — internationally as well as domestic — have initiated inspection on their aircraft fleet as per the SAIB,' DGCA said in a statement. In view of the SAIB, all airline operators of the affected aircraft must complete the inspection by July 21, it added. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was headed from Ahmedabad in western India to London when it crashed, killing all but one of the 242 people on board as well as 19 people on the ground. In a letter to employees on Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the investigation into the crash was ongoing and it would be unwise to jump to 'premature conclusions.'
