Boeing 787, 737 inspection: Air India completes DGCA-mandated fuel switch checks, says…
Private airline Air India said on Tuesday that it has finished checking a part called the fuel control switch (FCS) on its Boeing 787 and 737 planes. This check was done as a safety step, and no problems were found. Last week, India’s aviation safety body DGCA told all airlines to inspect this part before July 21. This order came after a report on a recent plane crash said the fuel switches might have been turned off by mistake.
The crash happened on June 12, when Air India flight AI 171, flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, went down shortly after takeoff. Sadly, 241 of the 242 people on board died, along with 19 people on the ground.
The fuel control switch is an important part that controls how fuel flows into the engines. According to Air India, all of its planes passed the safety check with no issues found.
“In the inspections, no issues were found with the said locking mechanism. Air India had started voluntary inspections on 12 July and completed them within the prescribed time limit set by the DGCA. The same has been communicated to the regulator,” it stated.
First report on the Boeing 787-8 crash
In its first report on the Boeing 787-8 crash, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that fuel stopped flowing to both engines just one second apart. This sudden cut-off caused panic and confusion in the cockpit shortly after takeoff.
Boeing 787 planes are used by Air India, while Boeing 737s are flown by its budget airline, Air India Express.
Other Indian airlines like IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa also use these aircraft in their fleets.
After the crash, the aviation regulator DGCA told all airlines to inspect the fuel switch system on these planes by July 21. Air India said it started doing these checks on July 12—before the order—and finished all inspections on time.
Both Air India and Air India Express have followed the DGCA’s orders.
Right now, Indian airlines use more than 150 Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft. IndiGo, for example, operates seven Boeing 737 Max 8 planes and one Boeing 787-9, but all of them are leased from other countries. This means they are not registered in India.
Fuel control switch locking system
Back in 2018, the US aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), had pointed out a possible issue with the fuel control switch locking system on certain Boeing aircraft, including the 787 and 737 models. This was shared in a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB), but since it was not marked as a serious safety concern, no official directive was issued at that time.
According to the AAIB’s preliminary report on the recent Air India crash, a cockpit voice recording revealed one pilot asking the other, “Why did you cut off [the fuel]?” The second pilot replied that he didn’t do it. This added to the confusion in the cockpit moments after takeoff.
The AAIB referred to the FAA’s earlier bulletin in its report but did not recommend any specific action in response.
Currently, Air India operates 33 Boeing 787s, and its low-cost arm Air India Express has around 75 Boeing 737s. Other Indian airlines like Akasa Air and SpiceJet also fly 737s. While IndiGo operates both Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft, they are leased from foreign carriers, so the DGCA’s inspection order doesn’t apply to them.
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