Air India on Wednesday said it has completed a precautionary inspection of the fuel control switch (FCS) locking mechanism in its Boeing 787 aircraft, and found no issues, following aviation regulator DGCA’s directive issued earlier this week. The checks were prompted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report into last month’s Air India Boeing 787-8 crash that killed 260 people. The preliminary findings suggested that fuel supply to both engines was cut off within one second of each other shortly after takeoff, raising concerns over potential system or procedural failures.
"Over the weekend, our Engineering team initiated precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all our Boeing 787 aircraft. The inspections have been completed and no issues were found," an airline official said, citing an internal communication sent to pilots.
The official added that all Boeing 787-8 aircraft in Air India's fleet have undergone Throttle Control Module (TCM) replacements as per Boeing’s maintenance protocol. The FCS, which regulates fuel flow into aircraft engines, is a part of this module.
Crash report raised alarm over sudden engine cutoff
According to the AAIB’s preliminary 15-page report released on Saturday, the fuel control switches for both engines were found to have moved from ‘run’ to ‘cutoff’ position almost simultaneously, leading to a sudden loss of altitude. The cockpit voice recording captured one pilot asking the other, “Why did you cut off?” to which the second pilot responded, “I did not.”
Though the AAIB mentioned the FAA's Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) in its report, it did not issue any formal recommendations.
Pilots advised to stay vigilant
Air India has advised its pilots to remain alert and report any technical anomalies as per standard procedures. "We’ve reiterated the need to log any suspected defects in the technical log," the official said. The DGCA had directed all airlines operating Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft to inspect their fuel control switch locking mechanisms in light of the report.
(With PTI inputs)
