‘No Issues’ In Locking Mechanism Of Fuel Control Switches In Boeing Fleet: Air India

Authored by Guy Birchall via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Air India said on Tuesday that precautionary inspections found no issues with fuel control switches on its Boeing aircraft following last month’s fatal air disaster that killed 260 people.

The announcement follows a preliminary report into the incident, released last week, that said the switches in an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner shifted and flipped within seconds, starving both engines of fuel, shortly after taking off.

Moments later, Flight AI171, carrying 242 people, crashed into a medical college hostel.

Dr. Dhaval Gameti at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad said on June 14 that the facility had received 270 bodies, 241 of which are believed to be passengers and crew of Flight AI171. One passenger survived.

The investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau into the June 12 crash of the plane that took off from Ahmedabad, in northwestern India, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, is focused on the fuel control switches of the Boeing 787 jetliner.

Last week, the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation ordered all airlines operating Boeing aircraft to examine fuel control switches and submit their findings to the regulator by July 21.

In recent weeks, Air India has faced service disruptions amid heightened scrutiny and additional safety inspections, leading to flight delays and cancellations.

On Monday, an Air India Airbus 320 veered off the runway while landing in heavy rain at Mumbai International Airport, partially damaging the underside of one of the plane’s engines and causing a temporary runway closure. No one was injured.

In a separate incident, an Air India flight from Hong Kong experienced a fire in its auxiliary power unit (APU) on Tuesday as passengers were exiting the aircraft after landing in New Delhi.

“The APU was automatically shut down as per system design. There was some damage to the aircraft, however, passengers and crew members disembarked normally, and are safe,” the airline said on X. The airline added that the aircraft was grounded for investigation.

Earlier this month, the South Korean Transport Ministry said it was preparing to order all airlines operating Boeing aircraft in the country to examine fuel switches, in accordance with a 2018 advisory from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

In that 2018 advisory, the FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin recommended that operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, inspect the locking feature of the fuel cutoff switches to ensure that they could not be moved accidentally.

Indian conglomerate Tata Sons took over Air India in 2022, returning the debt-laden national carrier to private ownership after decades of government control.

Since the takeover, Air India has ordered hundreds of new planes worth more than $70 billion, redesigned its branding and livery, and absorbed smaller airlines in which Tata held stakes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.