No Issues In Fuel Switch Systems Of Boeing Fleet, Air India Says After Checks
Air India on Tuesday announced that it has completed a fleet-wide inspection of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) systems on its Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft and found no issues with the crucial locking mechanism.
The precautionary checks were mandated by the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), as a direct follow-up to the preliminary investigation into the fatal Air India crash in Ahmedabad on June 12.
The airline confirmed that the voluntary inspections, which began on July 12, were completed within the prescribed time limit. The checks were performed on all Boeing 787 Dreamliners in Air India’s fleet and the Boeing 737 aircraft operated by its low-cost subsidiary, Air India Express.
The DGCA had ordered the inspection after the preliminary report on the Ahmedabad crash by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) put the spotlight on the fuel switches of the crashed Boeing 787. The report revealed that the switches, which control fuel flow to the engines, were turned off within a second of takeoff, a key factor in the tragedy that killed 260 people.
The DGCA’s order, dated July 14, referred to a 2018 safety bulletin from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). That bulletin had warned about the potential for the fuel control switch’s locking feature to disengage mid-flight on several Boeing aircraft models.
Following the DGCA directive, all Indian operators of the affected Boeing planes were required to inspect the systems and carry out fixes if necessary
